EXTREME FOODS
Tastes just like chicken:
Scorpion in aspic on pumpernickel
with asparagus & chilli
with asparagus & chilli
from “EXTREME CUISINE”
- by JERRY HOPKINS:
“Historically in global terms, eating insects has been the norm for human beings. It is only in the western world, & in recent times, that it has been viewed as a strange or even revolting practice.”
“Insects as Food” - The Oxford Companion to Food
“Insects have played an important role in the history of human nutrition in Africa, Asia, Australia, & Latin America, & were an important resource for the Indians of western North America, who like other indigenous groups, expended much organization & effort in harvesting them...insects – in the larva, cocoon, pupa & adult stages – [are eaten] as a planned part of their diet throughout the year or when certain species are seasonally available.”
-p187
“Of the 800,000 species described by entomologists, thousands play a role in the human diet. Some of the more important groups include grasshoppers, beetle grubs & adults, ants & termites, moth & butterfly larvae & pupae, crickets & cicadas, bees & wasps, & flies.
In Mexico, people consume at least 308 species. Insects comprise as much as 2/3 of the animal protein eaten in parts of southern Africa. The Thais fix a zesty hot-pepper sauce with gropund-up water bugs. In Cameroon, a dish for special guests is palm grubs with salt, pepper & onion, cooked slowly inside a coconut. The Nepalese squeeze live bee larvae thru cloth & fry the resulting liquid like scrambled eggs. In Venezuela & Laos, giant tarantulas are a tasty snack.
According to recent studies...these most plentiful of creatures – rich in food value & agricultural potential – could substantially cut malnutrition in poor countries.
Analyses of Mexican & African species show that some contain 60-70% protein, carry more calories than soybeans or meat, & offer minerals & vitamins lacking in plant-dominated Third World diets."
-p188
“The odd thing is that we're all eating insects already. The Food & Drug Administration [FDA] in the USA & similar regulatory agencies elsewhere all permit a startling number of 'insect parts' in a given weight of packaged food because it is impossible to remove all of the insects during processing. Eg the FDA allows about 450 insect fragments per kilo in wheat flour – a staple used in dozens of foods, from bread to hot fudge sauce."
-p189
”Next to ants grasshoppers are the most popular six-legged bug with a cusine dating back to at least Old Testament times when, it is reported in Leviticus (11:22), that four bugs were an approved part of the ancient hebrew diet: 'Even these of them may ye eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.'
Locusts & grasshoppers are essentially the same & are found in vegetation worldwide, ranging in size from one – 5 inches in length.
The desert locust has been described as the most destructive insect in the world – 'the short-horn grasshopper can eat its own weight of food in a day, & during long migratory flights a large swarm may consume 20,000 tons of grain & vegetation in a day - & bring famine to whole communities."
-p191
"Methods of cooking include powdering them & baking them into cakes, fried with their legs & wings plucked off, boiled, curried, or prepared according to local tastes.....In Africa they are eaten raw, fried, roasted, boiled, jellied, mashed into paste, cooked in salt water & dried in the sun, or boiled like shrimp & eaten with couscous.
In many parts of Asia they have been a culinary staple for more than a thousand years & may today be purchased inexpensively from street vendors from Bombay to Bankok to Beijing – usually deep-fried. In Japan they are marinated in soy sauce & fried in a little oil. [[a word of warning – these insects may have been killed by pesticides rather than harvested naturally]].
Most commonly, locusts are consumed in Asia as a snack rather than part of a larger meal or as an ingredient in other dishes – often with beer in much the same way as peanuts [[or other savory snacks]]. The crisp outer portions & legs are crunchy & taste much like anything else that has been deep-fried, the softer insides are creamy in texture & mildly sweet.
Grasshoppers are high in protein (40-50% cf steak's 15), low in fat, rich in minerals (calcium, phosphorus & iron) & vitamins (B2 & Niacin)."
-192
Fried Locusts with Salt
1lb 1-2-day-old locusts Vinegar
8oz groundnut oil/butter Salt to taste
1 pt water
Remove the limbs & wings & place locusts in a heavy pan with the salt & water. Simmer for about ½ hour – until soft. Then boil until the water evaporates, lower the heat & stir in half the oil or butter. Cook over a low heat until the insects are crisp. Spritz with vinegar & add salt.
Grasshopper Paste
1lb 1-2-day-old locusts Vegetable/peanut oil
1/2lb peanuts/cashews Salt & pepper to taste
Limbs & wings may be left on. Deep fry in oil & drain when crisp. Then grind in a mortar, adding more oil & nuts until a paste the consistency of peanut butter is produced.
Or, dry in the sun & add oil sparingly as the locusts are ground together with the nuts.
Store in a jar & use as a spread for sandwiches or crackers.
“Insects as Food” - The Oxford Companion to Food
“Insects have played an important role in the history of human nutrition in Africa, Asia, Australia, & Latin America, & were an important resource for the Indians of western North America, who like other indigenous groups, expended much organization & effort in harvesting them...insects – in the larva, cocoon, pupa & adult stages – [are eaten] as a planned part of their diet throughout the year or when certain species are seasonally available.”
-p187
“Of the 800,000 species described by entomologists, thousands play a role in the human diet. Some of the more important groups include grasshoppers, beetle grubs & adults, ants & termites, moth & butterfly larvae & pupae, crickets & cicadas, bees & wasps, & flies.
In Mexico, people consume at least 308 species. Insects comprise as much as 2/3 of the animal protein eaten in parts of southern Africa. The Thais fix a zesty hot-pepper sauce with gropund-up water bugs. In Cameroon, a dish for special guests is palm grubs with salt, pepper & onion, cooked slowly inside a coconut. The Nepalese squeeze live bee larvae thru cloth & fry the resulting liquid like scrambled eggs. In Venezuela & Laos, giant tarantulas are a tasty snack.
According to recent studies...these most plentiful of creatures – rich in food value & agricultural potential – could substantially cut malnutrition in poor countries.
Analyses of Mexican & African species show that some contain 60-70% protein, carry more calories than soybeans or meat, & offer minerals & vitamins lacking in plant-dominated Third World diets."
-p188
“The odd thing is that we're all eating insects already. The Food & Drug Administration [FDA] in the USA & similar regulatory agencies elsewhere all permit a startling number of 'insect parts' in a given weight of packaged food because it is impossible to remove all of the insects during processing. Eg the FDA allows about 450 insect fragments per kilo in wheat flour – a staple used in dozens of foods, from bread to hot fudge sauce."
-p189
”Next to ants grasshoppers are the most popular six-legged bug with a cusine dating back to at least Old Testament times when, it is reported in Leviticus (11:22), that four bugs were an approved part of the ancient hebrew diet: 'Even these of them may ye eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.'
Locusts & grasshoppers are essentially the same & are found in vegetation worldwide, ranging in size from one – 5 inches in length.
The desert locust has been described as the most destructive insect in the world – 'the short-horn grasshopper can eat its own weight of food in a day, & during long migratory flights a large swarm may consume 20,000 tons of grain & vegetation in a day - & bring famine to whole communities."
-p191
"Methods of cooking include powdering them & baking them into cakes, fried with their legs & wings plucked off, boiled, curried, or prepared according to local tastes.....In Africa they are eaten raw, fried, roasted, boiled, jellied, mashed into paste, cooked in salt water & dried in the sun, or boiled like shrimp & eaten with couscous.
In many parts of Asia they have been a culinary staple for more than a thousand years & may today be purchased inexpensively from street vendors from Bombay to Bankok to Beijing – usually deep-fried. In Japan they are marinated in soy sauce & fried in a little oil. [[a word of warning – these insects may have been killed by pesticides rather than harvested naturally]].
Most commonly, locusts are consumed in Asia as a snack rather than part of a larger meal or as an ingredient in other dishes – often with beer in much the same way as peanuts [[or other savory snacks]]. The crisp outer portions & legs are crunchy & taste much like anything else that has been deep-fried, the softer insides are creamy in texture & mildly sweet.
Grasshoppers are high in protein (40-50% cf steak's 15), low in fat, rich in minerals (calcium, phosphorus & iron) & vitamins (B2 & Niacin)."
-192
Fried Locusts with Salt
1lb 1-2-day-old locusts Vinegar
8oz groundnut oil/butter Salt to taste
1 pt water
Remove the limbs & wings & place locusts in a heavy pan with the salt & water. Simmer for about ½ hour – until soft. Then boil until the water evaporates, lower the heat & stir in half the oil or butter. Cook over a low heat until the insects are crisp. Spritz with vinegar & add salt.
Grasshopper Paste
1lb 1-2-day-old locusts Vegetable/peanut oil
1/2lb peanuts/cashews Salt & pepper to taste
Limbs & wings may be left on. Deep fry in oil & drain when crisp. Then grind in a mortar, adding more oil & nuts until a paste the consistency of peanut butter is produced.
Or, dry in the sun & add oil sparingly as the locusts are ground together with the nuts.
Store in a jar & use as a spread for sandwiches or crackers.