Snails & Edible Insects
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Edible insects are widely considered to be the food of the future. As a percentage of their body weight, insects contain more protein than any other food source. As the global population continues to grow and modern-day farming methods take their toll on the environment, farming edible insects is rapidly taking centre stage as the most sustainable method of making sure everyone has access to the nutrients they need.
Here at Sous Chef we're taking the first steps to include insects in our diets. Snack on crunchy BBQ crickets or make your own high-protein snacks by roasting edible grasshoppers with your favourite spices. If you don't yet feel brave enough to pop a whole cricket in your mouth, try insect pasta or add cricket flour to to cakes, bread and raw fruit & nut bars.
What Do Edible Insects Taste Like?
Edible insects taste different depending on the insect. However, the three types we have at Sous Chef - grasshoppers, crickets and Buffalo worms - all tend towards a nutty flavour. Edible insects are rarely eaten plain, though. It's more common to see them roasted or fried, often with honey, salt and spices.
Why Are Edible Insects So Expensive?
Despite their nutritious and environmentally-friendly qualities, eating insects still isn't very popular in Western culture. And as an industry, farming insects for human consumption is also very new. Many of the processes are labour intensive and not yet streamlined for maximum efficiency. So, we have a low demand for the products of a very new industry, and this bumps the price up. However, the more people realise how great edible insects are, the more demand will increase and the cheaper they'll become!
Are Bugs A Good Source of Protein?
Edible bugs and insects are a very good source of protein. When freeze-dried, the bug with the highest protein content is the cricket. Dried crickets are typically an incredible 64% protein - that's three times higher than beef! Buffalo worms and mealworms are next. When dried, these unassuming bugs are usually between 54% and 56% protein. Finally come the dried grasshoppers at approximately 48% protein. All of them are higher in protein than beef, pork or chicken. Not to mention that farming them uses far less land, fewer resources and produces less greenhouse gases than farming any other animal.
