Bugs have a lot of potential -as a\u00a0food\u00a0source.<\/p>\n
The average diner may be skeptical, but that\u2019s the position of food scientist Leah Bessa and her partners.<\/p>\n
Their\u00a0South Africa-based company,\u00a0Gourmet Grubb, produces ice cream made from an insect-based dairy alternative they\u2019ve named\u00a0EntoMilk. It\u2019s made from\u00a0Hermetia illucens,\u00a0<\/em>the black soldier fly.<\/p>\n
And since June, they\u2019ve been operating a pop-up food concept in Cape Town called The Insect Experience, where dishes featuring insects are plated with the same care and precision as any gourmet delicacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sort of wanted to try and create a viable protein alternative that is sustainable and ethical and could really create quite a positive change going into the future,\u201d Bessa said.<\/p>\n
There are more than 1,900 known edible insect species consumed around the world, according to the\u00a0Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.<\/p>\n
Edible insects are incredibly healthy, according to Bessa. They\u2019re high in protein, for one \u2014 a quality protein that has the right amino acid profile for human consumption. They\u2019re also high in iron and zinc, high in fiber, and they have a healthy fat profile.<\/p>\n
In other words, edible insects have high potential as a sustainable source of food.<\/p>\n
\u201cInsects are very underutilized or not really very well understood, so we really wanted to try and highlight their potential. And also their taste, as well, because you know people don\u2019t really know much about them, what they taste like, how they can be used,\u201d Bessa said.<\/p>\nPasta with black soldier fly larvae, garnished with mealworms is one Insect Experience dish.<\/strong> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Chef Mario Barnard is behind dishes such as mopane polenta fries \u2014 polenta fries made with flour created with mopane worms, then sprinkled with mopane chili salt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to make it as visually pleasing for everybody to just introduce it. It helps with your mental block,\u201d Barnard told CGTN.<\/p>\n
While an unusual ingredient in some parts of the world, eating insects is nothing new.<\/p>\n
Approximately 2 billion people globally consume insects, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. They\u2019re primarily consumed in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America and have always been included in human diets.<\/p>\n
But broader interest in entomophagy \u2014 the consumption of insects by humans \u2014 is growing as the global demand for food strains resources.<\/p>\n
And chefs are incorporating them into creative dishes.<\/p>\n
So far, mostly locals have popped into the GoodFood food hall in Cape Town\u2019s hip Woodstock suburb to sample the creations at The Insect Experience, touted as South Africa\u2019s first restaurant to focus exclusively on insects.<\/p>\n
The pop-up was originally slated to close by the end of August, but Bessa and her partners now hope to keep it open through the middle of 2020, possibly springing up every few months in new locations.<\/p>\n
Most of the insects used at The Insect Experience come from South African farms, Bessa said. The only exception are the mopane worms, a southern African delicacy that are sourced from neighboring Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
Bugs have a lot of potential -as a\u00a0food\u00a0source. The average diner may be skeptical, but that\u2019s the position of food scientist Leah Bessa and her partners. Their\u00a0South Africa-based company,\u00a0Gourmet Grubb, produces ice cream made from an insect-based dairy alternative they\u2019ve named\u00a0EntoMilk. It\u2019s made from\u00a0Hermetia illucens,\u00a0the black soldier fly. And since June, they\u2019ve been operating a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":693575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-693574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-odd-but-true"],"yoast_head":"\n
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