GET READY TO EAT INSECTS!
Insects are included in the diets of a number of people around the world, and now they are making their way into the Western food culture as well. Edible insects have many advantages, especially when compared to meat, since they are more ecological and more ethical.
– A common misconception is that eating insects is like accidentally swallowing a fly while biking, says Otto Selenius. Selenius worked as a research assistant for the Insects in the Food Chain project conducted by the University of Turku and the Natural Resources Institute Finland. The project explored how insects could be utilised in the Finnish food chain. It aimed to promote the growth of insect economy in Finland and to develop the Nordic research network for studying insects as part of food production and circular economy. – Even though Western countries lack the tradition of insect eating, insects are a common source of nutrition in other parts of the world. So far, over 2,000 edible insect species have been discovered around the world, and they are a traditional part of local food culture in at least 40 countries. Insects are typically enjoyed as a delicacy – not as emergency food, says Project Leader Jaakko Korpela from the Functional Foods Forum. The easiest to start with are mealworms or house crickets, which are already farmed on commercial scale in Finland as well. Insect eating has long been considered unpalatable in the Western culture. Many are familiar with the subject through various TV shows, where eating living bugs is presented as something repulsive and negative.
TEXT SAARA JÄRVIÖ
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