A CORNUCOPIA OF INSECTS
A Cornucopia of Insects
Bugs are not considered edible comestibles in Europe and the USA but apparently we are in the minority as the rest of you in the big wide world out there have been enjoying them for many centuries.

In fact there are very few bugs that are not eaten by someone somewhere. Bugs make excellent food in fact, they are full of essential nutrients including protein, calcium, and amino acids. The have very little fat content and what's more they can be prepared very simply and quickly.
They can be sauteed, steamed, stir-fried, deep-fried, and grilled. There are probably many other ways to cook them as well.
The meat is mainly found in the tail and body segments but if the exoskeleton is left on, it can bring a lovely crunchy texture to the taste (Chocolate coated ants I imagine taste a bit like those chocolate coated rice krispies that you may have made as a child only with a bit more of a sting in them).

What to drink with your bugs

Good wine and drink accompaniments include Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, sangria even beer and of course Champagne which goes with absolutely everything!

Bad Marketing

Perhaps our reluctance in the West to eat bugs in our diet is not a squeamish one at all. Afterall we eat seafood of indeterminate description quite happily. Cockles at the seaside are a treat eagerly anticipated.
I think the problem lies in the names. They just need remarketing and I think restaurants could easily take the lead in popularising them. The French can make anything sound delicious with their beautiful language and a Gallic named bug would roll off the tongue very easily I'm sure. So give them a fancy French name and I'm sure we'd take to them like hermit crabs to tin cans.

Here's some I prepared earlier:

  • Larves de Hanneton Grillées (Devilled Cockchafer Grubs),
  • Fricassee de Chrysalides (Cocoon Fricassee)
  • Punaise en Papillotes de Papillon (butterfly wrapped bedbugs. Not very filling but a very expensive delicacy).
    Or if we were going for a younger market, we might opt for
  • Alpha-bait-y Spaghetti,
  • Pasta with Pest-o
    or maybe even
  • Bees on Toast.
    The possibilities for renaming are almost endless.

    I suppose after all this sumptuous fare we should all settle back with an ant-acid tablet!