Can You Eat Insects?

trays of edible insects in a street market
Trays of cooked insects in a street market.

If you have ever ridden a car with the windows down or ridden fast on a bike or boat, you may have accidentally swallowed a fly or two. While this consumption is accidental, and more than a bit disgusting, in many regions around the world insects are considered a staple food or even delicacy – begging the question if eating these creatures is actually sustainable or healthy.

Despite the level of disgust that may accompany the thought, insects are perfectly fine to eat and contain enough nutrients to create a sustainable meal. All over the world, insects appear in main dishes, candies, and we even unknowingly eat them in our everyday food items.

Depending on your culture and where you live, the attitudes towards eating insects differ widely.

A common misconception of insects as food is that they are only consumed in times of hunger. On the contrary, they are a staple in many local diets. Insects are consumed because of their taste, and not because there are no other food sources available. Certain insect species, such as mopane caterpillars in southern Africa and weaver ant eggs in Southeast Asia, can fetch high prices and are hailed as delicacies.

Are Insects Safe to Eat?

Despite the disgust factor, insects are used in many dishes and are consumed regularly all around the world. Many insects are an excellent nutritional food source with regard to fat and protein, and many edible species are a rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially iron and zinc. The caloric and nutrient content of insects can vary widely from species to species and also between wild and farmed insects. Here is a comprehensive article on the health benefits of edible insects.

In many places around the world, eating insects is a fact of life and of survival. In many countries with a high level of poverty, some of the best sources of protein come from the insects that people catch and eat.

People in approximately 80 percent of the world’s countries eat insects on a more or less regular basis. These bugs are collected from forests, deserts, freshwater ecosystems, agricultural fields, or cultivated in dedicated insect farms.

For example, in Ghana, termites are a regular source of nutrition. Ghanaians will roast, fry, or even bake the insects in their bread. In the United States, termites are considered a pest that infests wooden houses, where in this African country they are a necessity for living.

Another large area of the world that eats insects regularly is Asia, although they are seen more as a delicacy than a way of life. Thais eat grasshoppers, crickets, and woodworms regularly. These insects are often fried and sold on street markets and have even made their way to store shelves. In China, they serve bees and wasps in high-end restaurants as a delicacy. In the markets there,one can find water bugs roasted and fried, skewered for eating on the go.

Even in the Western world there are now many food production start-ups that of products insect-based food products ranging from insect protein powders, cricket energy bars, to confectionary, snacks and condiments.

Insects in Candy

To accompany their fried and cooked friends, insects also commonly appear in candy. These candied bugs appear all over the world, including in the United States. In the U.S., these insects are grown in farms and then preserved in sugar, creating a bug sucker. These are made with larvae, crickets, and scorpions.

In Mexico, it is common to see bugs dipped in chocolate and served by street vendors individually and in dishes.

red macronsTiny white insects called Cochineal bugs (Dactylopius coccus)  that feed on cactus turn into a brilliant red color when crushed. This cochineal extract has been used as a red dye or coloring for centuries. Carmine, the name by which this red pigment is known, is used to color food and drinks red. Carmine can be found in  meat, sausages, processed poultry products, pastries, desserts, icings, pie fillings, jams, preserves, gelatin desserts, juice beverages, varieties of cheddar cheese, yogurts, ice-cream and a wide variety of other dairy products, sauces and sweets.

To find out if a product contains cochineal bugs, look for any of the following ingredients on the label: cochineal extract, cochineal, carmine, carminic acid, E120 or Natural Red No. 4.

Cooking With Insects at Home

While most insects are not harmful to eat, preparing them to eat on your own could be a different story.

The Most Popular Insects You Can Prepare Yourself

  • Grasshoppers: All around the world, you can find people eating different insects, and grasshoppers are one of the most popular. Some cultures snack on them  like crispy chips, while others use them in various recipes. It helps that these insects are easy to catch and cook. These bugs are best prepared without the legs, and then roasted in a pan over a fire. Voila! Pan-fried cricket for dinner!

  • Crickets: Crickets are among the most popular insects to eat. They have a uniquely nutty, slightly smoky essence, with just a hint of astringency on the back of the palate. It’s a very pleasant umami flavor which with deepens with roasting. Just as with grasshoppers, be sure to remove the legs, followed by a quick visit to the roasting pan. These insects are very nutritious and pack a lot of protein.

In addition to whole insects that are sold either fresh or frozen, protein powders made predominantly from crickets are becoming increasingly popular. They are called the ‘Gateway bug’ for Western consumers because they look just like flour and don’t have a discernible taste. You can use them just like regular flours in your baking. A rapidly growing area for cricket protein powders are energy bars.

Globally, the most eaten insects by humans are

  • Beetles (31%)
  • Caterpillars (17%)
  • Bees, wasps, and ants (15%)
  • Grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets (14%)
  • Cicadas, leafhoppers, planthoppers, scale insects and true bugs (11%)
  • Termites (3%)
  • Others (dragonflies, flies, and others – 9%)

Bugs to Avoid in Your Meal

While most insects are edible, there are a few to avoid, especially if you are catching them on your own. While these insects are commonly seen in markets around the world, if not prepared properly, these insects could easily make you sick or even kill you.

  • Slugs and Snails: While snails and slugs are served in French cuisine from safe sources, if you are catching them on your own it is best to avoid them. While the flesh is not poisonous to humans, the mushrooms they consume often can be. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to these legless friends.

  • Tarantulas and Scorpions: If not prepared properly, these creatures could harm you due to the poisonous glands and stingers on their bodies. Street vendors and other sellers of these insect friends know exactly how to make these specimens safe for consumption. However, without experience or extensive research, avoid them.

  • Caterpillars: Caterpillars are prepared all over the world. However, without being an entomologist, it may be difficult to identify which caterpillar is safe or not safe to eat. Some caterpillars are poisonous, causing you at least an upset stomach. In a pinch, it is best to avoid these critters, especially if they are colorful and/or hairy.

Insects in our Everyday Food

Did you know that there are insects in your food? As a matter of fact, you have been eating insects all your life!

Government control bodies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permit a certain number of insects or insect parts in food products because it’s practically impossible to keep them completely out. Bugs can get into food anywhere along the food chain – during growth, harvest, production, storage in the warehouse, or grocery store. These insects make it mostly as fragments into your food because they get chopped up somewhere along the food chain, usually during harvest or processing.

Get used to the fact that the FDA allows up to 400 insect fragments per 50 grams of ground cinnamon; 225 insect fragments per 225 grams of dried pasta; 30 insect fragments per 100 grams of peanut butter; or 60 insect fragments per 100 grams of chocolate.

We should also mention that insects are used on purpose two make to major categories of food additives: coloring (mostly reds) and confectioner’s glaze.