Ant eggs as a soup ingredient, scorpions on a skewer, silkworms or wasps fried crispy!
The celebrities on RTL jungle camp disgust just by looking at them: eating maggots and grasshoppers always costs them a lot of effort.
Insects are a normal part of the menu in many countries around the world and are often even considered a delicacy.
But are insects actually tasty? Read which insects are edible, how they are prepared, how high the nutritional value is and where you can buy creepy crawlies.
Fancy insects as a TV snack?
If so, that’s not a bad idea, because insects are super healthy and taste good too!
They contain about twice as much protein as meat or fish, are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and full of vitamins and minerals.
Grasshoppers (lat. Grylloidea), for example, have 12.9 percent protein, 75.8 milligrams of calcium and 9.5 milligrams of iron per 100 grams.
No wonder that more than 1700 species of insects are part of everyday food in 113 countries around the world. Mexican children, for example, love locusts covered in chocolate.
Beetles and larvae are also popular as “street food”. In Taiwan, for example, you can find pan-fried crickets or steamed caterpillars as a tasty snack.
Another plus is the climate friendliness and sustainability of insects as a source of protein. At 80 percent, their edible proportion is significantly higher than, for example, beef (40 percent).
A swarm of locusts
There are already insect farms in some European countries, for example in the Netherlands, Spain, but also in Germany. However, most German suppliers of insects import their goods from Southeast Asia or Canada.
These insects are edible
Danger! You should only eat insects that are not under nature protection. According to the WHO, there are more than 2100 edible species worldwide. Popular food insects include:
- Bee maggots (Galleria mellonella)
- Heimchen (Acheta domesticus)
- Mehlwürmer
- Mittelmeergrillen (Gryllus bimaculatus)
- Giant mealworms (Zophobas morio)
- Steppengrillen (Gryllus assimilis)
- Migratory locusts (Locusta migratoria)
- Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria)
Two of these insect species have been approved as food in the European Union since 2021: the mealworm and the European migratory locust.
A new EU regulation, which comes into force on January 24, allows the (labelled) addition of cricket, mealworm and grasshopper flour to many foods such as cereal bars, bread and rolls, breakfast cereals or pasta.
Acquired a taste?
In any case, you should only eat insects that have also been bred for human consumption. Insects that you collect yourself are not included. These are considered wild animals that may also feed on waste and/or be infested with parasites. That is not healthy!
Important for buying and eating insects
You can buy edible insects fresh or frozen in certified online shops or in grocery stores. They are killed by freezing or boiling before consumption.
If you want to learn how to cook with insects, you can also book a cooking course.
Danger! Consumer advocates advise against insects from pet shops or fishing tackle shops. Here the hygienic standards for human consumption are often not sufficient.
For the same reason, it is better not to eat insects that you have bred yourself.
Insects from commercial breeding stations for use at home are also not suitable for human consumption. They only serve to obtain animal feed.
By the way: In the case of insects purchased online, the customer’s warranty rights apply. This means that goods that have been delivered incorrectly can always be returned – regardless of the perishability of the goods.