[Why don't we eat bugs?] For centuries, people have consumed bugs, everything from beetles to caterpillars, locusts, grasshoppers, termites, and dragonflies. The practice even has a name: entomophagy. Early hunter-gatherers probably learned from animals that foraged for protein-rich insects and followed suit. As we evolved and bugs became part of our dietary tradition, they fulfilled the role of both staple food and delicacy. In ancient Greece, cicadas were considered luxury snacks. And even the Romans found beetle larvae to be scrumptious. Why have we lost our taste for bugs? The reason for our rejection is historical, and the story probably begins around 10,000 BC in the Fertile Crescent, a place in the Middle East that was a major birthplace of agriculture. Back then, our once-nomadic ancestors began to settle in the Crescent. And as they learned to farm crops and domesticate animals there, attitudes changed, rippling outwards towards Europe and the rest of the Western world. As farming took off, people might have spurned bugs as mere pests that destroyed their crops. Populations grew, and the West became urbanized, weakening connections with our foraging past. People simply forgot their bug-rich history. Today, for people not accustomed to entomophagy, bugs are just an irritant. They sting and bite and infest our food. We feel an "ick factor" associated with them and are disgusted by the prospect of cooking insects. Almost 2,000 insect species are turned into food, forming a big part of everyday diets for two billion people around the world. Countries in the tropics are the keenest consumers, because culturally, it's acceptable. Species in those regions are also large, diverse, and tend to congregate in groups or swarms that make them easy to harvest. Take Cambodia in Southeast Asia where huge tarantulas are gathered, fried, and sold in the marketplace. In southern Africa, the juicy mopane worm is a dietary staple, simmered in a spicy sauce or eaten dried and salted. And in Mexico, chopped jumiles are toasted with garlic, lemon, and salt. Bugs can be eaten whole to make up a meal or ground into flour, powder, and paste to add to food. But it's not all about taste. They're also healthy. In fact, scientists say entomophagy could be a cost-effective solution for developing countries that are food insecure. Insects can contain up to 80% protein, the body's vital building blocks, and are also high in energy-rich fat, fiber, and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. Did you know that most edible insects contain the same amount or even more mineral iron than beef, making them a huge, untapped resource when you consider that iron deficiency is currently the most common nutritional problem in the world? The mealworm is another nutritious example. The yellow beetle larvae are native to America and easy to farm. They have a high vitamin content, loads of healthy minerals, and can contain up to 50% protein, almost as much as in an equivalent amount of beef. To cook, simply sauté in butter and salt or roast and drizzle with chocolate for a crunchy snack. What you have to overcome in "ick factor," you gain in nutrition and taste. Indeed, bugs can be delicious. Mealworms taste like roasted nuts. Locusts are similar to shrimp. Crickets, some people say, have an aroma of popcorn. Farming insects for food also has less environmental impact than livestock farms do because insects emit far less greenhouse gas and use up less space, water, and food. Socioeconomically, bug production could uplift people in developing countries since insect farms can be small scale, highly productive, and yet relatively inexpensive to keep. Insects can also be turned into more sustainable food for livestock and can be reared on organic waste, like vegetable peelings, that might otherwise just end up rotting in landfills. Feeling hungry yet? Faced with a plate of fried crickets, most people today would still recoil, imagining all those legs and feelers getting stuck between their teeth. But think of a lobster. It's pretty much just a giant insect with legs and feelers galore that was once regarded as an inferior, repulsive food. Now, lobster is a delicacy. Can the same paradigm shift happen for bugs? So, give it a try! Pop that insect into your mouth, and savor the crunch.
過去幾百年來 人們食用蟲子 其中包含:甲蟲 到毛毛蟲 蝗蟲 蚱蜢 白蟻 還有蜻蜓 這種習慣甚至還有個名稱: 食蟲性 早期的採獵者可能 由從動物覓食 高蛋白的昆蟲 學到這種行為 隨著文明演進 蟲子變成我們飲食傳統的一部分 牠們扮演了 主食及 美饌的角色 在古希臘 蟬被視為豪華的點心 甚至羅馬人也發現甲蟲的幼蟲 是人間美味 為什麼我們失去了吃蟲的胃口? 我們拒絕吃蟲的原因有史學根據 而這故事可能始於 史前約一萬年的新月沃土 位於中東的一個地區 那裡是農業的主要誕生地 當時,我們一度為遊牧民族的祖先 開始在新月區安家落戶 隨著他們在那學會耕種作物 及馴養動物 態度改變了 如漣漪般向外擴展到歐洲 及其餘的西方世界 隨著農業起飛 人們很可能蔑視 蟲子為無用的害蟲 會破壞他們的作物 人口成長了 西方世界變成都市化 減弱我們與 古老覓食習慣的關係 人們完全忘記他們豐富的吃蟲歷史 今天,對不再習慣於食蟲性的人 蟲子就只是煩人的東西 牠們叮、咬 還騷擾食物 牠們給我們一種厭惡的感覺 一想到烹調昆蟲的可能性 就讓我們覺得噁心 將近 2 千種昆蟲被當作食物 作為世界上 20 億人口 每日膳食的一大部分 熱帶地區國家是 最熱衷的食用者 因為文化上可接受 這些昆蟲的棲地較大 品種較多 且往往聚集成團或群 使牠們很容易被捕抓 拿東南亞的柬埔寨為例 在那裡巨型狼蛛被採集 油炸 並在市場上販賣 在非洲南部 多汁的可樂豆木蟲 (天蠶蛾幼蟲)是主要膳食 可與一種辣醬同煨 或曬乾灑鹽來吃 而在墨西哥 剁碎的臭蟲 與大蒜、檸檬及鹽一同烘烤而食 蟲子可以整隻吃當成一餐 或磨成粗粉、細粉及製成糊 加進食物中 但這不只跟味道有關 還有健康考量 事實上,科學家說食蟲性 可能是很划算的解決方案 對糧食來源不穩定 的發展中國家而言 昆蟲含有高達 80% 的蛋白質 這是身體重要的組成元素 而昆蟲也含大量的高能量脂肪 纖維 和微量元素 如維他命及礦物質 你可知道大部分的可食昆蟲 與牛肉相比 含有等量 甚至更高的鐵礦物質 使牠們成為一種 量大、待開發的資源 當你考慮到缺鐵 這目前最常見的 世界性營養問題 黃粉蟲是另一種 跟營養有關的例子 這種黃色的甲蟲幼蟲原生於美國 且很容易人工繁殖 牠們有很高的維生素含量 一大堆健康的礦物質 且含高達 50% 的蛋白質 幾乎與牛肉所含等量 要煮食,只需與奶油及鹽同炒 或烤一下再灑一些巧克力 就變成香脆的小點心 你必須克服心中的厭惡 就能得到營養 及好味道 的確,蟲子可以很美味 黃粉蟲嚐起來像烘烤過的堅果 蝗蟲則類似蝦子 有些人說蟋蟀 有種爆米花的香味 人工繁殖昆蟲為食物 也對環境產生較少的影響 比之於畜牧繁殖場 因為昆蟲排放的溫室氣體遠低 且消耗較小的空間及食物 從社經角度來看,蟲類生產 可能有利於 開發中國家的人民 因為昆蟲養殖場的規模較小 卻高生產力 而且維持起來相對便宜 昆蟲也可以變成 家畜的永續飼料 且可以有機廢物飼養 如蔬菜削去的皮 不然這些廚餘 都只能在掩埋場裡腐爛 覺得餓了嗎? 面對一盤油炸蟋蟀 多數人今天仍退避三舍 想像這些腿和觸角 卡在齒牙之間 但想一下龍蝦 牠其實就像隻巨大的昆蟲 腿及觸角豐足 一度被視為 次等、反胃的食物 現在,龍蝦可是種美食 這種典範轉移 可會發生在蟲子身上? 那,來試試看吧! 就啪地把昆蟲丟進口中 細細品嘗嘎吱的滋味