SNOMNH Recent Invertebrates: Bon appetit!

Are you planning on coming to the Beautiful Beasts / Bugs Outside the Box opening a week from today? Bring your appetites, if you are! I know we've mentioned eating bugs before, and Miridae has previously written an informative post about all of the benefits of eating bugs: high in protein, low in fat, and high in environmental sustainability. However, aside from the worm at the bottom of a bottle of tequila, it's not terribly common to see insects cooked and prepared as food for us.

Disclaimer: if you have a seafood allergy, you probably shouldn't try eating insects. Your allergy could be a reaction to the chitin found in shrimp, lobsters, and crayfish. Insects are made up of this same chitin. Just admire them from afar, if this is the case for you.

At this opening, you will have the opportunity to sample ants, meal worms, and crickets if you so desire. You might be wondering how on earth these are prepared, and actually there are many ways that you can prepare insects for consumption. Other countries are a bit ahead of us when it comes to the association between bugs and eating - it's a very common, accepted food staple in areas of Asia and Africa. Here, we're still pretty hedgy on the idea, and it's too bad - especially when you consider that so many people are trying to incorporate high protein/low fat foods into their diets.

Insects as food in Thailand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Insect_food_stall.JPG

My first run-in with some cooked insects came at an entomology conference. Among the buffet of chicken sticks, artichoke dip, and cheese, there were a few tureens of salt-and-pepper roasted crickets, as well as some roasted larvae. However, at this point, it's time I confessed: I actually did not sample these insects. I know, I know, I'm disappointed in myself too. But this time, I'll walk the walk at the opening, and actually give these a whirl.

Salt and pepper roasted crickets. See, it's all garnished with lettuce and everything!

Another way to enjoy insects is to deep fry them. As we've seen at the state fair, one can deep fry practically anything and people will eat it, so that method doesn't seem as big of a stretch to me. In fact, I'll bet deep-fried insects could be a hit at the fair. These are fried silkworm pupae on a stick.