by Owen Jones
It sounds pretty revolting to the majority of Westerners that many people around the world eat insects on a frequent, even daily, basis. This is not always only because edible insects are so abundant and money is so in short supply. In a lot of countries, some insects are considered a delicacy.
I am not an authority on edible insects in every country, but there are so many varieties of edible insects where I have been, that there must be similar edible insects in every country with the exception of the North and South Poles.
Eating insects may sound revolting to us, but I have met individuals who think that it is just as revolting to eat prawns, shrimps and lobsters. After all, they are merely insects of the sea of a kind. And just like eating shrimps or lobster, insects are either the main or only part of the dish. In other words, they are considered just as much a luxury as shrimps, prawns or lobster is in the West.
Insects are not eaten with rice, chips, in a sandwich or with a sauce. Rather insects are deep-fried in a wok and eaten from a plastic bag like chips. Insects are not mixed when cooked either. You buy fifty grammes of one and fifty grammes of another and they are eaten separately.
Insects are abundant and they do not have to be bred, unlike cattle. An interesting fact is that beef is about 20% protein whereas insects are between 65% and 80% protein. Surprising, eh? 50 grammes of insects provides more protein that a half-pound beef steak and they contain scarcely any cholesterol.
If you want to include insects in your diet, then you will need to study the subject with regard to your own country, but I will give some pointers. In the insect world, yellow means 'stay away from me, I am poisonous or do not taste nice', so it is best not to eat them. Most insectivores stay away from hairy insects too, so spiders and house flies are out as well. Mosquitoes are too small as are ticks and many other insects.
While some caterpillars can be eaten, some cannot, so leave them to the experts. The best insects to go for are beetles, termites, larvae, grubs, grasshoppers, crickets and some night-flying insects.
In Thailand, for example, most people will eat insects for a treat, although some people eat them every day. In the north-east and in the north-west, people may eat insects once a month. In the centre, like Bangkok and Pattaya, fried insects are sold on the streets, so they are easily available. They are eaten frequently in the south and in the east, which is called Isaan.
However, all over Thailand, you can witness ultraviolet lights over insect traps. These families will either consume the insects themselves or sell them on to a dealer. I have also seen people collecting a fly which only comes out at night after rainfall. You can gather thousands in an hour by putting a bowl of water under a street light. The insects become stunned by the light and corkscrew down into the water where they drown.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on quite a few topics, but is at present involved with <a href="http://mosquitorepellentfordogs.com/indoor-mosquito-repellent.html">indoor mosquito repellent</a>. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at <a href="http://mosquitorepellentfordogs.com">Mosquito Repellent For Dogs</a>.
---------------------------------------------------
You are receiving this because you signed up for it on 2011-08-23 from IP
To fine-tune your selection of which articles to receive, just login here:
http://www.uniquearticlewizard.com/bloggers/
using your username:
To unsubscribe please use the following link:
http://www.uniquearticlewizard.com/unsubscribe.php?mail=kidloveme.huyen@blogger.com&code=b83952f8ca040e326c958cbc4b8fd96e
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------
New Unique Article!
Title: Advice On Eating Insects
Author: Owen Jones
Email: owen@amiabledragon.com
Keywords: insects,mosquitoes,home remedies,garden,house,health,hobbies,recreation,disease,flora,family,outdoor,other,uncategorised,chemicals
Word Count: 527
Category: Hobbies
---------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment