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Bugalicious, eating insects for sustainability
Are you looking for a tasty, nutritious, low-in-fat, high-in-protein, cheap and sustainable alternative to your current diet? Look no further. Insects are on the menu.
In many parts of the world bugs are consumed as a healthy delicacy. Slimy, creepy critters already form part of the daily diet of at least 2 billion people worldwide. Prepared correctly, eating insects can be a delicious and nutritious food source.
Now you probably enjoy a cheeseburger as much as the next person, but unfortunately, our dietary dependency on livestock puts great pressure on resources and the environment. In fact, experts say that a pound, or half a kilo, of burger meat accounts for almost a dozen kilos of CO2 emissions and every kilogram of beef requires 10 kg of feed to be produced. Bugs are significantly more sustainable. A kilo of, say, delicious crickets requires less than two of feed. Hungry yet?
The world’s population is continuing to grow and so, naturally, is the demand for nutrition. Experts at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) highlight insects as one of the solutions to provide food security in the future.
Gourmet grubs have already made it to the market. Take for instance Swiss company Essento, which combines Western flavours with an “extra” insect crunch. Popular restaurants like London’s Archipelago have also added various crawlers to the menu.
If you do come across a place that has some “bugalicious” flavours, take a bite. You might just enjoy it. After all, consider the first person to ever bite into a lobster. They must have been pleasantly surprised despite the animal’s unpleasant appearance.
So join the sustainable revolution and get some grub on your plate. Here is a recipe that gets you ready for summertime grilling of grasshopper kebabs. And don’t forget to make banana worm bread for dessert. Your barbecue will certainly be a party that no one forgets.
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