WEBVTT

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[Why don't we eat bugs?]

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For centuries, people have consumed bugs,

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everything from beetles

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to caterpillars, locusts,

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grasshoppers, termites, and dragonflies.

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The practice even has a name:

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entomophagy.

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Early hunter-gatherers
probably learned from animals

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that foraged for protein-rich insects
and followed suit.

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As we evolved and bugs
became part of our dietary tradition,

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they fulfilled the role
of both staple food and delicacy.

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In ancient Greece, cicadas
were considered luxury snacks.

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And even the Romans found
beetle larvae to be scrumptious.

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Why have we lost our taste for bugs?

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The reason for our rejection
is historical,

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and the story probably begins

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around 10,000 BC in the Fertile Crescent,

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a place in the Middle East

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that was a major birthplace
of agriculture.

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Back then, our once-nomadic ancestors
began to settle in the Crescent.

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And as they learned to farm crops
and domesticate animals there,

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attitudes changed,

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rippling outwards towards Europe
and the rest of the Western world.

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As farming took off,

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people might have spurned
bugs as mere pests

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that destroyed their crops.

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Populations grew,
and the West became urbanized,

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weakening connections
with our foraging past.

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People simply forgot
their bug-rich history.

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Today, for people not
accustomed to entomophagy,

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bugs are just an irritant.

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They sting and bite and infest our food.

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We feel an "ick factor"
associated with them

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and are disgusted
by the prospect of cooking insects.

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Almost 2,000 insect species
are turned into food,

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forming a big part of everyday diets

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for two billion people around the world.

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Countries in the tropics
are the keenest consumers,

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because culturally, it's acceptable.

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Species in those regions
are also large, diverse,

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and tend to congregate in groups or swarms

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that make them easy to harvest.

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Take Cambodia in Southeast Asia

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where huge tarantulas are gathered,

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fried, and sold in the marketplace.

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In southern Africa,

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the juicy mopane worm is a dietary staple,

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simmered in a spicy sauce

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or eaten dried and salted.

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And in Mexico, chopped jumiles
are toasted with garlic, lemon, and salt.

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Bugs can be eaten whole to make up a meal

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or ground into flour, powder,
and paste to add to food.

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But it's not all about taste.

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They're also healthy.

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In fact, scientists say entomophagy
could be a cost-effective solution

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for developing countries
that are food insecure.

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Insects can contain up to 80% protein,

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the body's vital building blocks,

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and are also high in energy-rich fat,

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fiber, and micronutrients
like vitamins and minerals.

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Did you know that most edible insects
contain the same amount

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or even more mineral iron than beef,

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making them a huge, untapped resource
when you consider that iron deficiency

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is currently the most common
nutritional problem in the world?

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The mealworm
is another nutritious example.

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The yellow beetle larvae are native
to America and easy to farm.

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They have a high vitamin content,

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loads of healthy minerals,

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and can contain up to 50% protein,

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almost as much as in an equivalent
amount of beef.

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To cook, simply sauté in butter and salt

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or roast and drizzle with chocolate
for a crunchy snack.

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What you have to overcome in "ick factor,"

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you gain in nutrition and taste.

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Indeed, bugs can be delicious.

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Mealworms taste like roasted nuts.

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Locusts are similar to shrimp.

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Crickets, some people say,
have an aroma of popcorn.

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Farming insects for food
also has less environmental impact

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than livestock farms do

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because insects emit
far less greenhouse gas

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and use up less space, water, and food.

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Socioeconomically, bug production

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could uplift people
in developing countries

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since insect farms can be small scale,

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highly productive, and yet
relatively inexpensive to keep.

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Insects can also be turned
into more sustainable food for livestock

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and can be reared on organic waste,

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like vegetable peelings,

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that might otherwise
just end up rotting in landfills.

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Feeling hungry yet?

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Faced with a plate of fried crickets,
most people today would still recoil,

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imagining all those legs and feelers
getting stuck between their teeth.

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But think of a lobster.

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It's pretty much just a giant insect
with legs and feelers galore

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that was once regarded
as an inferior, repulsive food.

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Now, lobster is a delicacy.

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Can the same paradigm shift
happen for bugs?

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So, give it a try!

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Pop that insect into your mouth,

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and savor the crunch.