Popular insect snacks

We all like to have a snack when we watch a movie or travel, shrimp fries, popcorn, and so on. This time, let's do something different: how about trying grasshoppers and crickets? Don't say no just yet. In fact, grasshoppers, crickets and other insects are not only nutritious, but also very tasty.

As a matter of fact, insects are very popular all over the world, and there are more than 1,000 kinds of insects that taste good and provide human beings with the necessary proteins. People in different countries around the world have given full play to their ingenuity to make insects into a variety of tasty snacks. In Asia, locusts are more popular, especially the Japanese and Thais are fond of locusts, which are high in protein, nutritious and tasty. Deep-fried locusts also taste a bit like fried chicken. Crickets, on the other hand, are one of the most common edible insects in the world, and in Laos, crickets are a tonic, often used as a solution to malnutrition. If you have a chance to visit Vientiane, the capital of Laos, you will find snacks made of crickets all over the streets. A piece of advice, by the way, is that when you go there, don't buy the wild crickets recommended by the owner, because UN reports show that farmed crickets are more flavorful than wild ones.

In South Africa, locals add locusts to their porridge to enhance the nutrition and taste; in Colombia, fried and salted “fat bottom” ants are a very popular snack; in Mexico, grilled grasshoppers are also a popular snack; and in Papua New Guinea, sago larvae in banana leaves are a rare delicacy! ...... Of course, the world's most eaten insect meals are in the tropics, and in some parts of Africa, insects have always been a staple food for locals.

However, in the future, insects may not only be a specialty food in the tropics, they will also become a regular meal in countries around the world, and will appear on people's tables as often as lamb and pork.

The Insect Feast of the Future

By 2050, the world population will increase by more than 3 billion. The growth in demand for livestock, such as pigs, cattle and sheep, will also continue to increase, which will undoubtedly accelerate global warming and deteriorate the atmospheric environment. Studies have shown that livestock farming currently causes more greenhouse gases than automobile emissions worldwide. Therefore, in order to control greenhouse gases, it is necessary for humans to reduce livestock farming. The best way to do this is to is to find suitable alternative food, because it is impossible for human beings to completely give up protein supplementation. Then, insects with high protein content and without deteriorating the atmosphere are undoubtedly the best choice.

Which insect is the most popular? Insect food experts tell you that grasshoppers are the first choice. First of all, grasshoppers are pests that don't hurt to eat and reproduce quickly - I'm afraid you'd be over the moon if you were asked to eat bees. Secondly, the culinary techniques associated with grasshoppers are relatively well established, as you can see on the insect menu we described above. Most importantly, of course, they taste good.

Nowadays, there are technicians who have worked out unique containers for breeding grasshoppers, which are very beautiful and pleasing to the eye. This special breeding cage consists of 4 parts: a temperature-controlled nest made of acrylic, which is the grasshopper's living area; a feeding table, which is used for food; an insect collecting area, where fully matured grasshoppers can be collected; and a small light, which is used to lure the grasshoppers into the insect collecting area. Usually, grasshopper eggs grow for about a month before you can collect grasshoppers.

If you want to pick insects that are high in protein, then breadworms are recommended. Breadworms are the larvae of the yellow mealworm, and they are extremely nutritious, with protein, microbial and mineral content comparable to that of fish and pork. In the future, burgers will be filled with a variety of “insect fillings”. Don't hesitate to bite into them, they are the most fashionable, nutritious and environmentally friendly delicacies!