Insect Protein: From local and street styles to gaining a global spotlight

When you are asked to consume a protein-heavy diet, where do you usually turn to? Fish, meat, chicken and egg, isn’t it? But what if with changing culinary practices one was to tell you that these aren’t the only available options anymore. There is, in fact, a fifth option which is insects. Insect protein is a real deal and although one was consuming it for a long time, it is only recently that science and culinary experts are really putting the spotlight on it.

Does insect protein really constitute greater nutrient than regular meat and fish?

When we talk of insect protein, undeniably the species is one which evokes fear and phobia. Thus to be able to eat it needs enough convincing.

According to a journal paper titled, Insect proteins – Production technologies, bio-functional, and food applications: A perspective, “With an increasing incidence of protein malnutrition and the burden on staple grains to meet nutritional needs, non-conventional protein sources have gained market share as beneficial alternatives to expensive, overexploited, and ecologically damaging conventional sources. Among the non-conventional protein sources, insects are a unique and effective source of protein that helps ensure global food security”.

In fact, as per nutritional value, some insects have double the amount of protein than what is available in every 100 gms of meat. Crickets, wasps, ants, locusts, bees, and grasshoppers have almost 13 to 61% protein, making it some of the most popular insects. Moreover, several African tribes have actually survived for decades on these insects and their nutrition. Apart from protein, they are also rich in amino acids. However, to make it accessible to the mass, the food industry still has a long road to take. According to the above-mentioned journal, “Insect protein production & utilization encounters significant challenges such as poor production technologies, low consumer acceptance due to psychological rather than rational reasons, and absence of clear legislation for regulating insects as food.”

How to treat the insect before eating it?

In India, if you have been to the tribal belts of Chhattisgrah or Jharkhand, you would notice how the local delicacy includes red ant chutney. Towards the North east of India, silkworm is another delicacy which you will find in any authentic restaurant. Moving towards the East beyond Indian boundaries, one can dig into scorpions, crickets, grasshoppers, worm cockroaches and more, especially at street-style food kiosks in night evening/night markets. Thus, the habit of eating insects has been there in the society and among several communities for long. But it is only today with renewed lens through culinary trends, alternative healthy food finding tactics, experimental gourmet food presentations etc. that the focus has magnified.

But insects should hardly be eaten raw. No matter how nutritious they are, they should be cleaned well under water, have the excess water dried off and then freshly prepared into a delicacy. While in India, most of the time the insects are crushed and pounded into a mashed item or put in delicious gravies, street-style food items often sell them deep-fried and even raw. Of course, there are sauces and condiments to elevate their taste.

While insects are still eaten , their overall nutritional value and human adjustment and acceptance towards it need to be discovered more. Further, it is still in a nascent stage, barring those parts of the world which rely on insect- heavy dishes. How insect protein will be treated and made accessible to people across the globe at large, is still an area which needs research, development and a lot of science.

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