- Title: Brooklyn edible insect expo tempts people with food containing bugs
- Date: 1st September 2017
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 1, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CRICKETS VARIOUS OF WORMS DINNER MENU DESSERT MENU LUNCH PLATE FEATURING CRICKET SCALLION CAKE AND VEGETABLE PATTY WITH CRICKET POWDER MAN EATING VEGETABLE PATTY WITH CRICKET POWDER INSECTS IN CONTAINERS AND BROOKLYN BUGS ORGANIZER AND CHEF JOSEPH YOON (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHEF JOSEPH YOON, SAYING: "Brooklyn Bugs is a celebration of edible insects and it's an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the leaders of the world of entomophagy and also to try and help change the perception amongst Americans of what it is to eat insects and bring more awareness, both on a nutritional standpoint, a sustainable standpoint, but also on a cultural standpoint." VARIOUS OF INSECTS IN CONTAINERS, A WATER SCORPION AND YOON (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHEF JOSEPH YOON, SAYING: "It's not just a creepy, crawly, disgusting bug on the floor. But something that is farmed and harvested and something that actually can be plated beautifully by chefs and is nutritious and delicious." YOON PLATING MANCHURIAN SCORPIONS AND SUPERWORMS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHEF JOSEPH YOON, SAYING: "I think that there is almost a misnomer or misinterpretation that when you eat insects, you eat them whole. But you think about steak, filet mignon, we don't say, ‘Oh, I want to eat a cow.' Right? The same thing goes with crickets and other insects. Where it's like we have cricket powder, which allows you to make different products with it, like cricket granola, baking with cricket flour. There are lots of diverse ways to utilize it that I think will allow for chefs and people to be able to accept it more as a part of their diet." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE EATING (SOUNDBITE) (English) JULES, ATTENDING BROOKLYN BUGS, SAYING: "I really like this. I'm not sure what this is with the small crickets in it, but it was so delicious. I was sort of saving this piece because it's the best. But yeah, everything was really good. And also I thought the chapulines, the grasshoppers, had a really distinct taste from the crickets, which I thought was really pleasant and nice." (SOUNDBITE) (English) KITTY, ATTENDING BROOKLYN BUGS, SAYING: "I feel like I've always initially seen it as kind of nutty. But it seems like they've salted it in a way where it brings out the flavor. It's more salty to me. I would say just a nuttier flavor to me. It's good. I really like it." VARIOUS OF WOMEN EATING VARIOUS OF BUG CHEF DAVID GEORGE GORDON READING HIS COOKBOOK "THE EAT-A-BUG COOKBOOK" (SOUNDBITE) (English) BUG CHEF DAVID GEORGE GORDON, SAYING: "I think a lot of it is the rise of foodie culture, that people are in to, 'Wow, try these grasshoppers. They're really good.' or whatever. There is a lot more acceptance of unusual foods." PAGES FROM "THE EAT-A-BUG COOKBOOK" (SOUNDBITE) (English) BUG CHEF DAVID GEORGE GORDON, SAYING: "First, I should say, we eat with our eyes. That's a Martha Stewartism. So some things might not necessarily be appealing to us. A big caterpillar for example. But I like people trying crickets. Crickets are really great. They even look kind of cute. They look like food for some reason to our brains." TABLE WITH A VARIETY OF INSECT FOOD PRODUCTS ON DISPLAY 100% PURE CRICKET POWDER CRICKET PASTA WHOLE DRIED CRICKETS WORMS IN A CONTAINER BUMPER STICKER READING "I DON'T FEAR BUGS I EAT THEM" EXTERIOR OF VENUE WITH BROOKLYN BUGS SIGN
- Embargoed: 15th September 2017 22:18
- Keywords: Brooklyn Bugs insect food bug food David George Gordon Jospeh Yoon crickets worms
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife,Human Interest / Brights / Odd News
- Reuters ID: LVA0016WRNOT5
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Insects are on the menu this weekend at Brooklyn Bugs in New York City. The Brooklyn Bugs food expo is a first-of-its-kind venture to bring together bug farmers, bug chefs and food products made with insects. It also aims to entice the people to try food made from bugs.
Crickets, worms, grasshoppers and about 200 more bug varieties are all edible and are packed with protein and other nutrients, according to organizers.
The three-day Brooklyn Bugs event features food tastings, drink pairings and entertainment - all with the hearty insect in mind.
"Brooklyn Bugs is a celebration of edible insects and it's an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the leaders of the world of entomophagy and also to try and help change the perception amongst Americans of what it is to eat insects and bring more awareness, both on a nutritional standpoint, a sustainable standpoint, but also on a cultural standpoint," explained Brooklyn Bugs organizer and New York City chef Joseph Yoon on Friday (September 1).
Yoon said farming and harvesting insects requires far less resources than for farming livestock.
As Yoon prepared to serve lunch to the crowd, he said "It's not just a creepy, crawly, disgusting bug on the floor. But something that is farmed and harvested and something that actually can be plated beautifully by chefs and is nutritious and delicious."
On the lunch menu - cricket daikon scallion cake, vegetable patty with cricket powder and tempura fried adobo chapulines.
"I really like this. I'm not sure what this is with the small crickets in it, but it was so delicious," said Jules, who said she came to the event from Vermont.
She added, "I thought the chapulines, the grasshoppers, had a really distinct taste from the crickets, which I thought was really pleasant and nice."
Kitty, also from Vermont, described the cricket taste as "nutty" and "salty."
Bug chef David George Gordon, who was attending the event from Seattle, literally wrote the book on preparing edible insects when in 1998 he published the "The Eat-A-Bug Cookbook".
Over the past 20 years, Gordon said he has seen more acceptance of food made from insects.
"I think a lot of it is the rise of foodie culture, that people are in to, 'Wow, try these grasshoppers. They're really good.' or whatever. There is a lot more acceptance of unusual foods."
The food bug has bitten many and the edible food market is booming. Insects are already being used to make items such as protein powder, pasta and snack foods. Some stores in the U.S. have begun selling products made with insects and a few restaurants in New York have edible insect offerings on the menu.
The global market for edible insects was $33 million (USD) in 2015, according to Global Market Insights, and is expected grow 40 percent by 2023. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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