From 'ew' to 'yum': New York chef promotes eating creepy crawlies as sustainable delicacies

Creepy crawlies are crawling into the fine-dining scene in New York. In the city that never sleeps, a chef who started cooking insects four years back for an art project now wants to change people's perspective about insects and make them a "nutrient-dense" and "delicious" part of everyone's diet.

Love for insects

New York City-based chef Joseph Yoon and hisorganisation, Brooklyn Bugs, want to alter people's perception of insects from "creepy crawlies" to "sustainable" dietary options.

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The chef, who is now on a mission to showcase the diverse flavours, textures, and nutritional benefits that over 2,100 types of edible insects worldwide can offer, told Daily Sun that he "absolutely love(s) insects."

"The fact that they are so diverse, the fact that there are so many species of insects, the fact that we rely so heavily on insects for our own ecosystem and biodiversity is absolutely fascinating," he said.

As per the chef, edible insects come in a variety of flavours, from nutty,crispy, to cheesy, citrusy and coconutty. "What I'mtrying to do is present people with this wonderful cornucopia of flavours, textures and ideas of how to cook with edible insects."

From 'ew' to 'yum'

To normalise the consumption of insects, Yoon encourages integrating them into familiar dishes.

"When people ask me how they should integrate crickets or insects into their food, one of the favourite ways I like to do it is simply in my favourite foods, says the chef.

"You don’t have to think about making a new dish with a new ingredient, but if you like to make fried rice like I do, I love making fried rice with crickets. I love adding crickets to my mac and cheese. You can add the cricket powder to the cheese sauce," he adds.

Insect-ey snacks

As per a 2013 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) around the globe, around two billion people eat insects as a sustainable source of protein.

While their consumption, especially in Western countries, is associated with a strong sense of disgust with the growing challenge of feeding a burgeoning global population while minimising environmental impact, edible insects are gaining recognition as sustainable protein sources.

Population boom and food shortage

By 2050, the Earth is estimated to house approximately nine billion people and to feed them, food production needs to be doubled, reveals the FAO report. Increasing the number of food products is taking a toll on the environment.

As per recent studies, the livestock industry is responsible for between 14 to 17 per cent of man-made greenhouse emissions.

In comparison, insects like crickets needsignificantly less feed to produce the same amount of protein as traditional livestock. For instance, these need six times less feed than cattle, half the feed needed by pigs and broiler chickens, and four times less than sheep.

As weird as it may sound to you, this movement to embrace insects as a nutritious and eco-friendly protein source is not new.In Europe, an estimated nine million people consumed insects and their derivatives in 2019. By 2030, this number is projected to surge to 390 million. In the US, entrepreneurs like Patrick Crowley introduced insect-based products a decade back in 2012.

(With inputs from agencies)

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