Chocolate Covered Insects And Other Delicacies

Bugs! They bring about some emotional disturbances in people and in others they are just considered to be bugs. The movie industry has taken off with the emotionally charged patrons by showing horror movies about all kinds of bugs crawling, eating and just wrecking havoc on the screen. Those who are not afraid of bugs keep telling us the are just bugs and to get over it! Well have you considered eating those bugs? Seriously they are very high in protein, Calcium and Iron and a few other nutrients that we need.

Did you know that many people's eat insects as their main source of food? There are some that you cannot eat because they cause some allergic reactions and can make you sick, but I had listed some of the ones that are eaten and eaten regularly by other places such as Thailand, Africa and other nations of the world. No siree, bugs will not take over the world!

I think the tide is changing for the bugs. We will control them because we will harvest and eat them in many delicious dishes. They are even chocolate covered.

These are some of the yummy bugs that are edible: Dung Beetle, Tarantula, cicadas, locusts, mantises, crickets and grasshoppers, giant water bug, pupae of silk moths and other moths and butterflies, wasps' and bees' larvae and termites.

Bugs have a high amount of Protein, Calcium, Iron and fat. The highest nutrition Bug is the Waterbug coming in at Protein: 19.8 grams, fat: 8.3, Carbohydrates: 2.1, Calcium: 43.5 and Iron: 13.6. These are more nutritious than a glass of Milk and doesn't have the side effects that milk has!

The next one that are the ighest in these things are the Red Ant, Dung Beetle, Grasshoppers, and Silk Worm Larvae. You can read all of the ones listed here and more on the Insect Nutritional Chart

You would be surprised at how many nations thrive on just eating bugs. From Africa to Thailand and the West is just getting in on the practice.

Bugs will not take over the world now!

Don't Kill 'em, Eat 'em!.

 Raw yellow jacket larvae have a sweet, nutty flavor, deep fried greater wax moth larvae tastes like bacon, crickets deep-fried have a crunchy, tangy flavor,

Dry Roasting a pound of honey bees (about 3,500 bees) in an oven at low heat for eight hours can be used as flour.  

Just think of the possibilities and some day eating insect popcorn, using crickets as a new treat at your local theater.

Chocolate Chirpy Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
two eggs
1/2 cup dry roasted crickets
1 12-ounce bag chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until creamy. Beat in the eggs. Gradually add the flour mixture and insects; mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Dropped by rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for eight to 10 minutes.

Note: Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled depending on supply of crickets available.

Ingredients:
1 bag of mixed spring lettuce
4-5 Palm Weevil Larva (fresh)
½ lemon
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup hearts of palm
1 quartered beef tomato
½ sliced red onion
2 tsp. capers
Pine Nuts
Salt
Pepper

Directions :
In large bowl place washed lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and hearts of palm. Pre-heat sauté pan. When hot add 1 tbs. oil, capers, and live larva. Add lemon and salt. Sauté until golden brown. Remove from heat chill larva in sauce. Add to salad the remaining olive oil, and lemon juice. Pour cooked larva with sauce over the lettuce and garnish with pine nuts.

 

Ingredients:

• baker's chocolate
• candied crickets

Directions:

Melt baker's chocolate in double boiler.

Fill molds halfway with chocolate, add grasshoppers, fill rest of the way.

A tasty surprise in every one!

 

Hot-Cicada Nacho Grande

Ingredients:
1 lb. of Large Corn Chips
1 cup of dry-roasted Cicadas (can substitute crickets)
2 tsp. fresh chopped cilantro
¼ cup of fresh jalapeño peppers
½ lb. shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup black olives (sliced)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt

Directions :
Place dry-roasted Cicadas (or crickets) into small bowl. Add olive oil and chili power. Toss lightly with pinch of salt. On microwavable plate put small layer of chips followed by ¼ cup prepared Cicadas, olives, jalapeños, cilantro and cheese. Repeat until there is a mountain of chips. Place into microwave for 45 seconds to melt cheese. NOTE: Coolbugstuff.com has prepared Crick-ettes that can be substituted for Cicadas.

.............But what about when it comes to processed foods? Is there really any way to know how many insect parts have been ground right up with the rest of the ingredients? Probably not.

Think insect parts and rodent hairs are more of a rarity? Think again. An Ohio University fact sheet estimates that we eat from one to two pounds of insects each year, and without knowing it.

This is Gross, but is it Dangerous?

Quite the contrary. "They're actually pretty healthy," says Dr. Philip Nixon, an entomologist at the University of Illinois, in regard to insects, "If we were more willing to accept certain defect levels such as insects and insect parts, growers could reduce pesticide usage. Some of the spraying that goes on is directly related to the aesthetics of our food."

....

How Many Rodent Hairs and Insect Parts Are In ...

The FDA's action level for peanut butter is 30 or more insect fragments or one or more rodent hairs per 100 grams.

Here is a very brief sampling of the FDA's Food Defect Action Level list. They begin investigation when foods reach the action level they've set. According to the FDA, typical foods contain about 10 percent of the action level, but others say they contain more like 40 percent.

CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR

• Insect filth: Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments

• Rodent filth: Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined OR any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs

CITRUS FRUIT JUICES, CANNED

• Insects and insect eggs: 5 or more Drosophila and other fly eggs per 250 ml or 1 or more maggots per 250 ml

RED FISH AND OCEAN PERCH

• Parasites: 3% of the fillets examined contain 1 or more parasites accompanied by pus pockets

MACARONI AND NOODLE PRODUCTS

• Insect filth: Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples

• Rodent filth: Average of 4.5 rodent hairs or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples

PEANUT BUTTER

• Insect filth: Average of 30 or more insect fragments per 100 grams

• Rodent filth: Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams

POPCORN

• Rodent filth: 1 or more rodent excreta pellets are found in 1 or more subsamples, and 1 or more rodent hairs are found in 2 or more other subsamples OR 2 or more rodent hairs per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples OR 20 or more gnawed grains per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples

WHEAT FLOUR

• Insect filth: Average of 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams

• Rodent filth: Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams

Can these things be avoided? To avoid all unsavory food components, it seems, would be to stop eating all together. And perhaps we're just being too squeamish. After all, as Dr. Manfred Kroger, a professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, says, "Let's face it, much of our food comes from nature, and nature is not perfect."

Here is the link: http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/06/29/how-many-insect-parts-and-rodent-hairs-are-allowed-in-your-food.htm