From the walk-in
Mealworm fried rice Serves 2
Ready for a Bug Mac? Want to eat sustainably? Then eat bugs say the Dutch, who are pioneering the scientific case for the environmental benefits of insect proteins. They claim that changing our diet so drastically will reduce greenhouse gases, produce more edible protein and use less land than more traditional livestock.
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ivestock take up about 75% of the world’s agricultural land as well as being a major source of greenhouse gases, accounting for about 15% of emissions caused by humans. And the comparison figure for bugs? Until Dennis Oonincx, a graduate student at Wageningen University in Holland, got to work, nobody had a real idea. He’s been looking at mealworms, really the larvae of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, more commonly thought of as fishing bait. Donincx believes that to wean us off mediumrare steaks, all we need to do is understand the environmental impact of meat production from mealworm farming, so he’s been measuring land use, energy needs and greenhouse gas emissions. His results, published in the journal PLoS ONE, showed that mealworms need just 10% of the land needed to produce an equivalent amount of beef, including the land needed to grow feed grains and forage. Mealworms feed on grains and carrots, by the way. However, it does take more energy to produce a kilo of bug protein than it does to get edible protein from milk or chicken, because they need heat in order to grow and prosper. Oonincx concludes that mealworms “produce much less [greenhouse gas] and require much less land, than chickens, pigs and cattle. With land availability being the most stringent limitation in
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sustainably feeding the world’s population, this study clearly shows that mealworms should now be considered as a more sustainable alternative to milk, chicken, pork, and beef.” And one Dutch restaurant has already included mealworms as part of its bug buffet. The Specktakel restaurant in Haarlem is, however, used to shocking its customers. “They just read the first two things in the sentence and then they think they’ve got the bobotie pie with pumpkin mash, raisins and watercress,” says owner Mark Cashoek. “And the last word is actually the insect crumble.” Head Chef, Michiel den Hartogh, assembles a ‘crispy cricket’ dish, complete with curried mayonnaise, crocodile pie and fried crickets, with special care. “Just eat it,” he says. “Not so crazy.” However, Cashoek isn’t yet ready for Specktakel to be known as just the ‘bug restaurant’, but there is one insect item on the menu at all times. Its special, all-insect evenings get a warm reception from customers. “It is the fear factor and it is the gimmick that they’d try something like that,” he says of diners who pay more than $70 for the meal. Currently, the European Union is investing more than $4m to research the use of insects as a protein source for humans. Will the rising price of meat help change diets? Proponents of insect diets say that if a Big Mac is going to cost about $100 and a Bug Mac is going to cost only $4, people will change. The challenge? Making them nice to eat.
Ingredients: 1 cup shrimp or mealworms 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp oil 3/4 cup water 1/4 cup chopped onion 4 tsp soy sauce 1/8 tsp garlic powder 1 cup rice Method: 1 Mealworms come in a container with either bran or crumpled newspaper. To separate the mealworms from the packing material, place in colander and gently toss. Remove dead mealworms and any other bits of debris. Wash mealworms in colander under cool water. Place on paper towel and pat dry. They are now ready for cooking. 2
Place paper towel on roasting pan. Spread mealworms on paper towel and place in 200C oven for one to two hours until they are thoroughly dry and crunchy.
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Butter baking pan. Coarsely chop dry-roasted mealworms and set aside. Carefully heat sugar and butter in saucepan until boiling. Stir over medium heat for seven minutes. Remove from heat and stir in roasted insects. Pour into pan.
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Scramble egg in a saucepan, stirring to break egg into pieces. Add water, soy sauce, garlic and onions. Bring to a boil then stir in rice. Cover, remove from heat and let stand five minutes.
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Stir in mealworms.