WHAT’S
NEW
Ants and crickets on the menu: new book How do you harvest ants from an anthill in the forest? How does trading occur with insects in Thailand? How does an ant taste? Why does it make sense to harvest drone bee larvae, beyond the reason that they taste good?
These questions, and many more, are answered in the new book from Nordic Food Lab, On Eating Insects – Essays, stories and recipes, published by Phaidon. The book marks the end of the long journey that the authors have taken throughout the project Deliciousness of Insects that began in 2013 and ended in May 2016. The project was funded by The Velux Foundations velexfoundations.dk/en. ‘The book is a summary of our way through the project and now stands as a kind of monument to it,’ said director of the Nordic Food Lab (nordicfoodlab.org) and co-author of the book, Michael Bom Frost. ‘There has, of course, been much more output in the form of scientific journals, presentations and lectures, each of which describes parts of the project, but the book is where you can get an overview of the whole project.’ The book contains a series of essays, some of which are scientific, while others are more political, and others again personal. You can read about the authors’ travels around the world to explore the insects as part of the food system. ‘You can be very clinical and scientific about eating insects. But, eating is also a part of our culture and, if you want to know how people use insects in cooking, you do it best by talking to those who cook with insects.’
Eating insects is a pleasure Nordic Food Lab is interested in deliciousness and uses taste as an argument for eating a specific ingredient or dish, even when it comes to insects.
Hornets, gingko fruits, and mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley), for a chawanmushi experiment, Japan. Photo Nordic Food Lab
Contact: Nikky 0401 557 574 or Janine 0418 421 133
Lismore’s 27th Annual Gemfest On Saturday 20 May and Sunday 21 May, Lismore Gem & Lapidary Club will be celebrating the 27th Annual Gemfest at the Lismore showgrounds. Adult entry is only $5 with $1 for children and under five years free. There will be numerous stalls featuring jewellery, crystals, meteorites, fossils and much more. Kids activities include sieving for precious stones and lucky dips. There are many food stalls, raffles and gate prizes. There is also an ATM available. Come and join us for a fun-filled family outing. Lismore Showgrounds 20–21 May. The gates open at 9am.
Former member of the Nordic Food Lab and coauthor of the book, Josh Evans, describes in the book how much he enjoys eating fresh bee larvae: ‘I peeled off a section of comb and, with a finger, gently brushed out a plump, white larva, and put it in my mouth. Its skin burst delicately on the tongue. ‘It was smooth and fatty, with faint flavours of honeydew melon, raw hazelnuts, avocado. A slight sweetness, and lingering savouries. The texture was bewildering: it had a kind of luxury. I ate another, slowly, as the sun’s light and heat bled through my closed eyelids.’ Head of culinary research and development in Nordic Food Lab, Roberto Flore, was part of the majority of the fieldwork research and also developed the majority of the recipes in the book. ‘It can be tricky as the Nordic audience often don’t have a reference,’ Flore said.
‘From a chef’s point of view, it is like opening a book of something new. Therefore it is important to obtain cultural knowledge.
North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
A workshop to explore self through the holistic union of art as therapy and plant spirit medicine. Join Nikky (professional artist and art teacher) and Janine (qualified intuitive herbalist) in a one-day immersion of honouring your creative fire and dive deeper into your unknown self.
It is not so much about insects in relation to sustainability or as a good source of protein, although these are important topics.
‘It is not parsley or tomato – a cricket tastes like a cricket and you need to work hard to create something people really understand, when they don’t know crickets.
Spicy cricket and asparagus. Photo Nordic Food Lab
HEARTSONG
‘I mean, two billion people in the world are already using insects in their food. For them, it’s not new but something in their culture, so a lot of knowledge is already available.’
Colour your World with a Fun-filled Family Outing
Lismore’s 27th Annual
Gemfest
2 Full Days Saturday 20th May, 9am–5pm Sunday 21st May, 9am–3pm Venue Lismore Showground Entr y $5 per adult, $1 per child (under 5 years free) Featuring Gold, Sapphires, Jeweller y, Opals, Gemstones, Rare Fossils, Cr ystals, Meteorites, Raffles, Kids’ Activities, Food Stalls and Lucky Gate Prizes. ATM available.
The Byron Shire Echo May 17, 2017 17