What’s tasty, abundant and high in protein? Bugs! Although less common outside the tropics, entomophagy, the practice of eating bugs, was once extremely widespread throughout cultures. You may feel icky about munching on insects, but they feed about 2 billion people each day (Mmm, fried tarantulas). They also hold promise for food security and the environment.
Should we eat bugs? Farming insects like mealworms, locusts, and crickets is sustainable. It takes up less space and fewer resources, and it emits less greenhouse gas than other sources of farmed protein. Edible insects can also be delicious and full of nutrition.
And cooking up insects is accepted in a majority of other countries. As reported in The Guardian, “More than 1,000 insects are known to be eaten by choice around the world, in 80% of nations. They are most popular in the tropics, where they grow to large sizes and are easy to harvest.”
File under TED-Ed history and entomophagy.
Plus, don’t miss The Unseen Incredibleness of Mealworms.
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