Edible insects are all the rage. But would you try them?

The nutritional and environmental benefits of using insects as a food source have been known and touted for decades. With the European Food Safety Authority formally classifying mealworm as safe to eat last week, there has been, understandably, renewed excitement both in the press and in venture capital investments. A lot of research has been done on how (western) cultural aversion (the main barrier to consumption) can be overcome, and how the form or the context can be manipulated to change perceptions.

All these headlines made me think about my attitude towards seeing insects as food, and how this has changed over the years with exposure to different cultures. I thought some may find these experiences entertaining, and hopefully somewhat interesting.

My personal fascination with insects started almost 20 years ago, when during a visit to Mexico, I encountered crickets and Maguey worms (the worm found in some tequila bottles) on restaurant menus. A combination of curiosity and eagerness to prove mind over matter (it is unheard of in Greece, where I grew up, to willingly eat insects!) lead me to try these dishes. In the case of the Maguey worms, my first thought was how expensive the dish was. It makes sense, if you think about it, that a food that is considered a delicacy in the local culture and is labor intensive to gather would be expensive, but it I was not expecting this. In retrospect, it was likely my unconscious bias that insects are only something you would in desperation; in a survival situation. I recognize now that this is quite a common reaction for many western consumers - probably on par with disgust! After tasting the dishes, I was blown away by the flavor: The crickets were prepared in a way that was indistinguishable from pulled pork, both in flavor and texture, while the worms reminded me of smoked fish. Delicious!

From that point on I've made it part of my "tourist to-do list" to try the most unusual foods of any culture I visit, particularly if my first reaction is "eew, gross!". Here are some notable mentions:

South Korea: As any parent of a toddler can tell you, the most effective way to overcome biases and ensure one tries a food item is to "disguise" it. From squash "pasta" to riced cauliflower, as long as the original form or texture is hidden, the eater will only decide whether or not to eat it based on flavor. Not surprising, the same approach seems to work with insects, hence the plethora of burger/sausage applications. But not in South Korea! In South Korea, if you order silkworm larvae (Beondegi - a traditional snack popular with school boys, I was told), that's exactly what you will get, and there will be no attempt made to disguise it whatsoever:

Granted, this was a canned example, which looks (and tastes) much "worse" than the cooked-from-scratch version, but the fact remains: because the larvae are not dried and crispy, there is no mistake that you are eating larvae. This one is for advanced users!

China: China, like many East Asian countries, has a long tradition in using insects for food. Nowhere else is this more evident, than in the Wangfuijing Snack Street in Baijing. Here one can find anything, from see horses and starfish, to scorpions and locusts, all mostly deep fried or grilled. There is no attempt to disguise the items: to the delight of the hordes of domestic and international tourists, insects are displayed in all their glory:

Admittedly, to my insect-na?ve palate, most of these insects tasted like the oil they were fried in, or smoke. However, both the flavor and the texture were quite pleasant! For me, the hardest mental barrier to overcome was for the centipede. So, blaming a full stomach from all the other creepy-crawlies sampled, I skipped on those. In retrospect, I regret doing so because it is unlikely I will have an opportunity to try one any time soon.

The Netherlands: closing the circle. Traditional Dutch cuisine could probably not be further away from insects, but the rich innovation culture of this country has made it a hot spot in alternative proteins, including insect rearing. One of the most memorable items I have tried was live Sáuva ants, at a culinary demonstration at the Hotel School The Hague. These ants are found in Brazil, and they really do taste like lemongrass (if you manage to catch one)! They were made famous in Europe by Chef Alex Atala served on a slice of pineapple, a truly delicious combination.

Although snack insects could be found in innovation trade shows such as SIAL Paris for several years now, it was only fairly recently that these products are found in the Dutch market. Inspired, by the headlines, I ordered some snack crickets and mealworm from Enough! Insects, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. Most insects I have had in the past had been freshly prepared, but the shelf stable snack format also seems to work very well. I also thought it was a good idea that they offer some SKUs where the insects are part of a nuts/seeds mix, as it is probably mentally easier for new users to try them.

All and all, I think insects are part of the solution for a sustainable protein future, along with cultured meat, mycoproteins and other novel technologies. However, the stigma associated with eating bugs is likely to persist for significantly longer, and it is therefore critical that research is done to identify what can be done to increase their acceptance. My guess is that, eventually, insects will become much more normalized in western cuisines. If one considers that shrimp, crayfish, oysters and mussels are, more or less, mainstream, it is not far fetched to think that eventually "land insects" will also be, at least partially, accepted. This was my motivation for this short article: I hope that it will inspire at least one person to open up to trying this sustainable food source.