Cooking with Edible Insects At first, Henk van Gurp, one of the authors of this cookbook, thought that cooking with insects was an exciting challenge. By now, however, it is no trouble at all for him to create delicious dishes and snacks that are enjoyed by many people. The authors of this book first got together in the 1990s to try to stir up Dutch public interest in eating insects. The Laboratory of Entomology at Wageningen University, in the Netherlands, where Arnold van Huis and Marcel Dicke work, was located very close to Rijn IJssel Vakschool, the hotel and tourism school in Wageningen, where Henk van Gurp teaches. This initial meeting turned into a long-term, Henk van Gurp. (Lotte Stekelenburg) unique collaboration. In the last ten years, the partnership has intensified, as interest in the subject has gone into overdrive. The authors worked together in 2006, during the Wageningen—City of Insects festival; in 2008, at the Horecava (an annual national fair for the food industry in Amsterdam); and in 2011, at the Insect Experience Festival, also held in Wageningen. These large events led to enormous media interest within the country as well as beyond its borders. Moreover, the government, other universities, hotel and catering trade press and entrepreneurs, educators, professional and amateur cooks, the food industry, and consumers have all become interested as well. This cookbook includes more than thirty recipes created by Henk van Gurp and inspired by his interactions and experiences with fellow cooks, colleagues, friends, consumers, and students.
Edible Insects Several species reared for human consumption are available. This book uses three species sold in the Netherlands:
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