Sharing something new, just in time for our Bots & Bugs event, April 7 & 8, 2018!

What is entomophagy?

What does entomophagy mean? The word is composed of two Greek roots words, so if you understand those roots it will help with figuring out the definition.  

‘Entomo’= bug (like in the word ‘entomology’, or the study of bugs)

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‘-Phagy’ = to eat (like in the word ‘thermophagy’, or the practice of eating really hot food)

So… Entomophagy means “to eat bugs”!

Can humans eat bugs?

While the idea of eating bugs might seem gross to you at first (and maybe it always will), one fact remains: people have been eating bugs before you, or your grandparents, or even their grandparents were born! Bugs remain an integral part of many traditional foods from cultures across Africa, Asia, and Latin America to this day. Not to mention right here in America, foodies are beginning to catch on to the untapped market of bug focused delicacies. However, please note some people can be allergic to bugs. For example, it is said people who are allergic to shellfish should avoid crickets as well.

Let’s take a look at the different ways people eat bugs all across the globe!

People eat bugs around the world? Yes!

Mexico: Bug Tacos!

Japan: Bug Eating Festivals! 

South Africa: Bowls of Bugs! 

France: Bug Chocolates!

Are bugs good for you?

Everyone has different dietary preferences to consider. If you are considering bugs, you may be thinking, “why would I want to eat bugs?” Well, there’s a reason lots of people eat bugs besides their taste or texture: they’re an incredibly healthy food!

• Protein! Bugs can contain up to 80% of our necessary daily protein. A serving of bugs can contain more protein than ground beef.
• Valuable vitamins! Bugs are high in energy-rich fats, fibers, vitamins and minerals.
• Less contamination! Bugs grown and prepared for human consumption are far less likely to make you sick by eating them, as they won’t harbor salmonella, listeria, or mad cow disease. Not to mention, most bug dishes involve preparing the bugs beforehand, reducing contaminants even further.

Save the world, eat a bug?

To address the growing problem of raising enough food for everyone to eat, while keeping our planet healthy, some experts are promoting bug farms.

• Bug farms are relatively inexpensive yet highly productive, smaller than livestock farms and produce fewer greenhouse gases. To put it in perspective, crickets require 12 times less food than cattle.
• Bugs can live on less expensive or quality food, like food industry byproducts, to help reduce environmental waste.

Feeling inspired? Try a bug snack in our gift shop, while supplies last!

Snacks you might find at the CuriOdyssey Gift Shop:

Crick-ettes, Larvets, Hotlix Bug Suckers, Chirps chips and more (chocolate ant wafers anyone?)!

Written by Anna Maness, edited by Adele Rios. Thank you for your curiosity!

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Sources and other relevant links:

• Should we eat bugs? (TedEd): here
• Why we should eat more bugs (NatGeo): here
• For Most People, Eating Bugs Is Only Natural (NatGeo): here
• U.N. Urges Eating Insects; 8 Popular Bugs to Try (NatGeo): here
• HotLix Bug Candy: here
• Chirp Chips Cricket Chips: here

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CuriOdyssey. A science center and zoo located in San Mateo, California.