Cricket protein?

deckerp
deckerp Posts: 4,490 Member
edited December 2022 in Food and Nutrition
I read this in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Crickets don't seem very...food like to me.

Has anyone tried crickets?

Link to article:
https://www.thegazette.com/agriculture/ames-cricket-farmer-stretches-her-legs-with-expansion/

Link to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-ngvRGq_gw
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Replies

  • lulalacroix
    lulalacroix Posts: 1,082 Member
    Just no. Also, no way! Yuk.
  • Rockmama1111
    Rockmama1111 Posts: 262 Member
    Ha! My partner recently ordered some just to try. He said they taste nutty. I said no thanks.
  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,558 Member
    edited December 2022
    I’ve had cricket tacos in NYC and all sorts of cricket dishes in South East Asia.. esp Thailand.

    I really liked it actually. Bonus they are highly nutritious.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,261 Member
    There's an obvious push to have people believe eating animals is unhealthy on every level and a whole food plant based diet won't deliver adequate nutrition on a world scale, which they're well aware of, so the elites are purposing to combat that conundrum by consuming insects. It's coming but I suspect I won't be around when it's mandated and your social credit score reflects your compliance. Resistance is futile. LOL.....Cheers
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,994 Member
    Before going on vacation to Cambodia, I thought I should get over my aversion to eating insects. We had an authentic Mexican near us in London where you can get the guacamole with or without a garnish of deep fried crickets on top, so I ordered that with. The criquets tasted like peanuts, actually.

    When we actually got to Cambodia there was only one occasion where tree ants, tarantulas, and grasshoppers were on the menu, but I ordered the chicken that night.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,261 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    Before going on vacation to Cambodia, I thought I should get over my aversion to eating insects. We had an authentic Mexican near us in London where you can get the guacamole with or without a garnish of deep fried crickets on top, so I ordered that with. The criquets tasted like peanuts, actually.

    When we actually got to Cambodia there was only one occasion where tree ants, tarantulas, and grasshoppers were on the menu, but I ordered the chicken that night.

    I ate when I was in Thailand some bamboo worms, grasshoppers and another kind of worm, not sure what it was in the street markets. As a chef, it had to be done, but not something I would ever think would be a mainstay in my diet. Yeah, not going to happen, ever. Cheers.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    I've seen cricket flour/powder used in dishes and baking. I haven't tried it, but it's just a powder, so you're not eating whole crickets.

    I eat shrimp and lobster, and those are the bugs of the sea, so....
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    I've had crickets in tacos. They were fried and crunchy -- I think the crunchiness was natural, although there seemed to be a fine coating, like they had been dredged in flour before frying. The flavor was pretty mild. It was pleasant.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,653 Member
    I don’t have a problem with eating crickets, they’re a plentiful source of protein and I think early studies show them to be more environmentally sustainable than many other (bigger) animal sources of protein.

    There is a caveat though, I’ve also read studies that caution people with dust mite allergies to be careful, as they could induce a severe allergic reaction. Which is why I haven’t tried them.
  • herblovinmom
    herblovinmom Posts: 441 Member
    I’ve had cricket chips, chips made out of crickets, not bad, I ate the entire bag, wouldn’t be opposed to eating again…
  • AlphaHowls
    AlphaHowls Posts: 2,004 Member
    I have eaten crickets, protein powder, chocolate and vanilla. It was a product called "eat bugs"

    Cannot find it now, guessing COVID effected them to.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,072 Member
    No crickets - but I've cooked and eaten cicadas. I thought they were very tasty and would happily eat them again.
  • sbelletti
    sbelletti Posts: 213 Member
    I'm curious to know why it's more distasteful to you than eating other animals. I'm betting it's largely a cultural thing.. Like eating goat is common in some countries, dogs in another, guinea pigs, etc. If you had grown up eating crickets like everyone else you knew, it wouldn't be considered out of the ordinary, so why not try it?
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,372 Member
    I remember before I ever had sushi it seemed off-putting. No more.

    As a child, the family would sometimes have beef tongue from the deli. Seemed gross to me, but I don’t know why. It shouldn’t be any worse than any other cut of meat if you eat animals.

    Do you realize where eggs come from?

    In the USA, fig paste (think Fig Newtons) are allowed to have up to 13 insect heads per 100 grams. Heads because there’s only one per insect but six legs.

    Ever had that Ruby Red juice, I think it is from the Ocean Spray brand? That color? It’s cochineal. Guess what that is. Yep. Insect.

    It is interesting what we are squeamish about. Once it is normalized, it’s no longer weird.

    Escargot? Tastes like garlic butter. Rattlesnake? Kind of tough if it isn’t prepared properly. Alligator? Tastes like scallops. Raw oyster? Some are squeamish about that too.

    Some people are even squeamish about chickens or beef or pork.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    sbelletti wrote: »
    I'm curious to know why it's more distasteful to you than eating other animals. I'm betting it's largely a cultural thing.. Like eating goat is common in some countries, dogs in another, guinea pigs, etc. If you had grown up eating crickets like everyone else you knew, it wouldn't be considered out of the ordinary, so why not try it?

    I think there's a difference for people when the insect (or other animal) is easily recognizable as what it is. I would think that many more people would be okay with cricket powder than with popping a whole cricket in their mouth.

    In the same sense that a piece of boneless chicken breast can be visually disassociated from the actual chicken. But a lot of people might be grossed out if served chicken feet (which look like chicken feet).
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,881 Member
    I grew up eating liver, kidney, hear,... We would often fight over who got those good bits 😁 I am still an adventurous eater, I've had andouille, andouillette, ox tongue...

    Bugs aren't really available here though. The dust mite allergy thing did worry me a bit, but when I came across a rare product with crickets, I gave it a try (antihistamines nearby) and it was fine. The crickets were ground, so nothing particularly intimidating. I don't think I'd mind crunchy crickets. I'd be wary of larger critters though (especially the innards and head, not so much the legs).

    They have to be dead and cooked though, I am not doing that Bear Grylls thing of chomping down on live tree grubs 🤢

    PS: not crickets but ants - there seems to be a trend in fine dining to use them as seasoning, for a sour note?
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,372 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    sbelletti wrote: »
    I'm curious to know why it's more distasteful to you than eating other animals. I'm betting it's largely a cultural thing.. Like eating goat is common in some countries, dogs in another, guinea pigs, etc. If you had grown up eating crickets like everyone else you knew, it wouldn't be considered out of the ordinary, so why not try it?

    I think there's a difference for people when the insect (or other animal) is easily recognizable as what it is. I would think that many more people would be okay with cricket powder than with popping a whole cricket in their mouth.

    In the same sense that a piece of boneless chicken breast can be visually disassociated from the actual chicken. But a lot of people might be grossed out if served chicken feet (which look like chicken feet).

    I think this is true of meat in general. I think most people where I live think meat comes in a neat package from the grocery. I think if people had to slaughter and butcher their own meat, there might be less demand for meat. Meat probably would also be higher quality.

    Lietchi wrote: »
    I grew up eating liver, kidney, hear,... We would often fight over who got those good bits 😁 I am still an adventurous eater, I've had andouille, andouillette, ox tongue...

    Bugs aren't really available here though. The dust mite allergy thing did worry me a bit, but when I came across a rare product with crickets, I gave it a try (antihistamines nearby) and it was fine. The crickets were ground, so nothing particularly intimidating. I don't think I'd mind crunchy crickets. I'd be wary of larger critters though (especially the innards and head, not so much the legs).

    They have to be dead and cooked though, I am not doing that Bear Grylls thing of chomping down on live tree grubs 🤢

    PS: not crickets but ants - there seems to be a trend in fine dining to use them as seasoning, for a sour note?

    There's also a concern for people with shellfish allergies. Crickets are related to shrimp and have similar protein.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 921 Member
    I have had roasted/fried crickets -- some just salted and some with bbq seasoning. They are crunchy and delicious. Just a crunchy salty snack. I don't mind they look like crickets though so I see why that might bug (no pun intended lol) some people. They do, in fact, taste like nuts.

    As far as bugs being 'good' to eat
    I personally do not have any problem with eating animals that are raised simply to slaughter and use as food. The edge that crickets (and other insects have) is that those particular animals take up much less room to raise as food - and their protein content (%-wise) is high so they are a good source of protein - especially when you take into account methane gas from other larger food animals as well as the space they take up to raise. It's efficient. And tasty. And nutritious. So why not?
  • happysquidmuffin
    happysquidmuffin Posts: 651 Member
    I suppose I'd be down for trying cricket in powdered form, as a chip or something, but I just don't think I'd ever pop the whole darn thing in my mouth. I've kept live crickets before (tarantula food), and they are kind of disgusting to me. But maybe it was my beginner cricket husbandry skills that were lacking.

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