By Lauren Scott, Arizona Farm Bureau Intern
I intentionally ate a bug for the first time recently. I didn’t think a year ago when I started my internship with the Arizona Farm Bureau I’d be eating bugs, but it’s all in the name of nutrition. You see, insects can be very good for you! I ate a few crickets to see if they were as gross as everyone around me makes them out to be, and they aren’t gross at all. Of course, that’s my opinion, but try some for yourself and I bet you’ll be surprised.
Photo from: www.edibleinsects.com
Crickets have about 13 grams of protein per 3.5 ounces, and can be eaten roasted and seasoned, or milled down into cricket flour. The ones I ate were ordered from EntoMarket, and came in many different flavors. The flavors were: Honey mustard, barbecue, sriracha, sour cream and onion, curry, and chocolate coffee.
When I first got them in the mail I didn’t think I would be able to eat them. I opened the package up and there were whole crickets, legs and all, staring at me from the plastic bag. Of course they had been cooked and seasoned, but I was still skeptical that they were edible.
To help me out with a taste test, I tracked down one of my brave coworkers, and we opened up the cricket packs. I decided to smell them before I tasted them, and they smelled good! My coworker and I then went through one-by-one and tasted all the flavors.
The crickets themselves were not bad at all. Think of the texture of those oven baked Cheetos, but with no cheese flavor; that’s what they were like. They were crunchy, and had a smoky flavor to them. The seasonings weren’t too bad either. Curry was the seasoning with the most flavor, and chocolate coffee had the least distinct flavor. My personal favorite flavor was sriracha because there was a little bit of a bite.
For anyone interested in trying insects, my advice would be to take the leap and do it. Ultimately though, I’ll be sticking to my meat proteins like beef, lamb, fish, and chicken. Variety is the spice of life, and I’ve certainly had my variety of proteins!