http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/bugfood2.htm

Bugfood II: Insects as Food!?! by Stephanie Bailey

Entomology Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky

Activities from this unit would make a very interesting 4-H talk or
demonstration spark interest in a classroom setting.

Discussion #1: Introduction

The thought of eating insects may be very unsettling to most people in
this day and age. However, in many cultures insects and other arthropods
have been eaten as a staple and/or as a delicacy. Research this topic in
groups, finding out what might be a typical diet for a given culture.

List/Discuss all foods we think are delicacies, and research some of the
ingredients, for example caviar is fish eggs, or how is the cacao bean
processed to become the chocolate we love. From there, or possibly it
will naturally be worked in, discuss some of the arthropods and other
invertebrates that are commonly eaten, such as crab, lobster, shrimp,
escargot (snails). Most often these animals are marine. Why wouldn't
terrestrial arthropods and snails be just as good? Is it because we can
see terrestrial arthropods living day to day? Put forth ideas.

Discussion #2: Insects as a source of nutrition

In many parts of the world today, insects are a part of people's diets.
Why? (Source of protein, easy to find, take up less space than cows,
etc.) Their nutritional value is equal to if not better than our
traditional meat choices (see table). Which insect is the most
nutritious? Which would be the easiest to rear? Try rearing mealworms in
the classroom, to use in bug recipes later. Students may also attempt to
determine some of the economic impacts such as time and costs in rearing
insects, labor to catch insects, shipping costs, etc., compared to
grocery prices for other types of meat.

An internet discussion list named entomo-l hashed out the topic of edible
insects over the course of a few weeks. There were several contributors,
and unfortunately some of the names were deleted, but where possible the
names are posted as written. See if this whets your appetite!! (Items are
reproduced here without editorial corrections.)

"I want to share some of my experiences. I'm living in Ecuador, South
America and I tried some wonderful, tastier and amazing insects here.
Near the Ecuador's capital, Quito, there is a small town called
Cotocollao where people cooks the white beetles (Scarabaeidae:
Cyclocephala). They cooks it with some pork meat and some vegetables.
Some people in the Amazonian region eats the cerambicid's larvae and
Cicadas."

"I tried the cerambicid (longhorn beetle) larvae, and I can guarantee
satisfaction. There are some kinds of ants edible here. One is the lemon
ant, that most of the people eats alive (Really delicious, but hard to
keep on the mouth). Another delicious ant is the "Hormiga Culona," a big
ant that is eaten fried." Gustavo F. Morejon J. BioBanco - Wildlife
Monitoring Centre Project International Federation of Scientific
Societies & Fundacion Maquipucuna P.O. Box 01.01.1135 E-mail:
[log in to unmask] (Internet) Cuenca - Ecuador South America

"Food Insects Newsletter". This excellent newsletter is put out by Dr.
Gene DeFoliart three times a year. It was free, originally, but with 2418
copies distributed in 1993, there is now a $5 fee. Contact Dept. of
Entomology, 1630 Linden Dr., University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
53706 (checks payable to Board of Regents, University of Wisconsin).

"I have tasted several species including dragonfly, grasshopper,
cerambycid larvae, honeybees and termites and have found them all
satisfactory. I DO recommend cooking all insects before eating.
Grasshoppers, in particular, can carry several parasitic worms that can
be passed to humans (so does beef, for that matter.)" Dave Pehling,
W.S.U./SNOHOMISH CO. COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

"In relation to edible insects, certainly in Mexico there is a great
prehispanic tradition in the cuisine of many insects. Just two examples:
1. In the south of Mexico there is an ant (Atta cephalotes), which is
consumed in the rainy season, when there is wing females, these ants have
42% of protein and his taste is wonderful. 2. In the mexican states of
Oaxaca, Guerrero, Morelos and Veracruz, the people frecuently cook a
"salsa," which have as main condiment crushed "jumiles" Euschistus
crenator and other species of the same genera
(Hemiptera:Pentatomidae)[stinkbugs]. These bugs have an aromatic and deep
flavor like a mint or cinnamon. Also these bugs are eaten lives with the
traditional "tacos"."

"In has been a long standing tradition (since before the Europeans came
to Mexico) to use a large variety of insect species in the traditional
cuisine of Mexico. There is even a book on insect edible species written
by a mexican entomologist. My favorite are redlegged grasshoppers
(Melanoplus femurrubrum) marinated in lemon juice, salt, and chile (of
course)"

"I have found that some of the local grasshoppers are fairly tasty when
eaten fresh (ie, live). I've
enhanced the entomology education of the neighbor kids by making them
fork over a dollar before I'll let them see me eat one." From: "Victoria
Nations"

"I've tried several recipes out of "Entertaining with Insects" (available
through BioQuip), and have found mealworms to be the tastiest. However,
I've tried to present these dishes at a few Biology Dept. functions, and
was distressed by the disgusted reactions of my colleagues. I'll admit
that getting exoskeletons stuck between your teeth can be a daunting, but
I would think that biologists would be more adventurous about eating
their study organisms. Alas not." From: Carol Vervalin

"We have a faculty member in my biology department that brings
cookies/brownies with meal worms mixed in and garnished with one worm on
top before baking. they don't taste bad!"

"We fried moths once (the grey ones) as a survival exercize, just catch
them and place them in the pan with a little hot oil. Some salt and
pepper might help."

"In Australia, Oecophylla are eaten as bush food. Snatch the ant from its
activity and bite off the abdomen ... good! a mixture of sweet and sour
and quite thirst-quenching."

"According to F.H.E. Philippi, (maybe it was E. Perris), 1864, Zoological
Record (I paraphrase, as it's been so long since I saw it): 'There's a
tribe in the Andes of South America, which collects species of dryopoid
beetles, dries them, grinds them up, and uses them as a spicy additive
for food flavouring.'"

Discussion #3 Food Defect Action Levels: How many bugs have you eaten
today?

Many foods we eat have insects or insect parts in them, that we don't
see. The Department of Health and Human Services has set a standard
called the Food Defect Action Levels, which (to quote a publication) "are
set on the basis of no hazard to health... These levels are set because
it is not possible, and never has been possible, to grow in open fields,
harvest and process crops that are totally free of natural defects."

"The alternative to establishing natual defect levels in some foods would
be to insist on increased utilization of chemical substances to control
insects, rodents and other natural contaminants. The alternative is not
satisfactory because of the very real danger of exposing consumers to
potential hazards from residues of these chemicals, as opposed to the
aesthetically unpleasant but harmless natural and unavoidable defects."

"Defect action levels do not represent an average of the defects that
occur in any of the food categories (averages are much lower). They are
the limit at or above which FDA will take legal action against the
product and remove it from the market."

Portfolio topic(s): How do you feel about FDAL's, and the idea that some
of your food may be contaminated with insects or other defects? What are
the tradeoffs? Do you accept the tradeoffs, or do you believe in zero
tolerance, even at very high prices and environmental pollution? What
about your tolerance to pesticides that are used?

Activity #1

Determine FDAL's for a few common foods (such as hot dogs, flour,
noodles, etc., some examples are listed below). Convert these values into
pounds per package bought in a grocery store, e. g. per 5 pound bag of
flour, 12-ounce can, etc.

Activity #2

Buy a few of these products (generics and/or brand names) and use a
microscope to examine the products for parts of insects, rodent hairs,
etc. How many, if any, are found? Do they exceed the action level? What
would YOUR action level be?

Discussion/Activity #4: The Bugfeast

If the class and teachers are adventurous, perhaps a real hands- on way
to get to know insects is to eat them (I had a zoology teacher who once
said studying helps but you never forget what you eat!). Teachers will
probably want to send home a form for parents to sign, allowing them to
take part. Activities surrounding the bugfeast may include:

Creating a menu of bug delicacies (real or imaginary dishes)

Shopping for the bugfood and other supplies

CLEANING AND PREPARING THE INSECTS

-taken from Entertaining with Insects

Insects, like lobster, are best if cooked while alive or fresh frozen. In
contrast to beef, lamb, and poultry, postmortem changes rapidly render
insects unpalatable. To facilitate meal planning, many species of insects
may be kept alive for several days in the refrigerator. In fact,
refrigeration before cooking is advised for the more active forms because
it slows down their movements and facilitates handling.

Mealworms and crickets are easy to obtain from bait & tackle shops, or
from distributors. If mealworms came packed in newspaper, they need to be
changed to bran meal or corn meal or starved for 24 hours, to purge their
gut. To separate mealworms from any attached food, waste material, or
other debris, place a handful of them in a colander and gently toss.
Remove any dead worms, and wash the remaining live insects under cool
water. Place the worms on paper towels and pat dry. The mealworms are
ready to be cooked or frozen for later use. Crickets should be placed in
a refrigerator before attempting to wash them, to slow them down. If,
before they are completely washed, they become very active, put them back
in the refrigerator. You may want to remove the legs, wings, and
ovipositor of crickets after dry roasting them.

PREPARING DRY-ROASTED INSECTS:

-taken from Entertaining with Insects

Take cleaned insects out of the freezer. Spread them out on a paper-towel
covered baking sheet. Bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 1-2 hours, until
the insects can be easily crushed with a spoon.

BUGFOOD RECIPES

Alternatively, go to gourmet shops, or ethnic shops and buy canned insect
treats such as chocolate-covered insects.

Dry-roasted insects can be included in most any recipe that could include
nuts, such as cookies, breads, brownies, Rice Krispie Treats (a.k.a.
Crispy Critter Krispies), etc.

Invite other classes to sample the bugfood

Reading List:

     Beetles lightly toasted

     Chocolate-covered ants

     Holt, Vincent M. Why Not Eat Insects? E. W. Classey Ltd., Hampton,
Middlesex. 1967 (1885).

     Taylor, R. L. Butterflies in my Stomach (or: Insects in Human
Nutrition). Woodbridge Press Publishing Company, Santa Barbara,
California. 1975.

     The Food Defect Action Levels: Current Levels for Natural or
Unavoidable Defects for Human Use that Present No Health Hazard.
Depratment of Health & Human Services 1989.