People in the developed world love shrimp, but who wants to eat a grub? Traveling afar will eventually lead you to see insects for sale (for eating) and if you're as adventurous as I like to pretend I am, you'll give them a try! They are not so different, after all, as the sea crustaceans we know and love (relatives in fact), and people have been eating them for thousands of years.
Now, I'll admit that people in less affluent countries perhaps don't prefer insects, and as a rule it is admittedly an oddity to see them in markets (although I hear they're consumed widely in Africa). I didn't see them for sale at all in either India or Nepal, which now strikes me as odd.
My first insect was in Japan, which is not surprising considering their love for nostalgia. Japan has always been protein poor (unless you lived by a sea market) and grasshoppers were a protein rich treat. So down the hatch they went, but pretty bland unfortunately.
I next tried (near a temple) bee larvae, which unlike grasshoppers is actually considered a delicacy. I was expecting a honey-like flavor but they too were tasteless. Finally, in Thailand, I tried stone-roasted beetles (I hope that's what they were anyway).
Not surprisingly, they too were tasteless- not even spicy. And those are all the insects I've eaten (at least on purpose). If you want to try something both weird and delicious- go for frog legs!
I am not discouraged though. I believe there are tasty insects out there and that one day I will find them. I've seen those big, buttery grubs that Aborigines eat in Australia. I bet those are flavorful!
By : Dinah_Jackson
Now, I'll admit that people in less affluent countries perhaps don't prefer insects, and as a rule it is admittedly an oddity to see them in markets (although I hear they're consumed widely in Africa). I didn't see them for sale at all in either India or Nepal, which now strikes me as odd.
My first insect was in Japan, which is not surprising considering their love for nostalgia. Japan has always been protein poor (unless you lived by a sea market) and grasshoppers were a protein rich treat. So down the hatch they went, but pretty bland unfortunately.
I next tried (near a temple) bee larvae, which unlike grasshoppers is actually considered a delicacy. I was expecting a honey-like flavor but they too were tasteless. Finally, in Thailand, I tried stone-roasted beetles (I hope that's what they were anyway).
Not surprisingly, they too were tasteless- not even spicy. And those are all the insects I've eaten (at least on purpose). If you want to try something both weird and delicious- go for frog legs!
I am not discouraged though. I believe there are tasty insects out there and that one day I will find them. I've seen those big, buttery grubs that Aborigines eat in Australia. I bet those are flavorful!
By : Dinah_Jackson
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