- 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:
- 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
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None