International Flavor of Bugs
Japan
The Japanese have used insects as human food since ancient times. Thousands of years ago, the region had a large human population but a shortage of animal protein. Since the area had an abundance of insects that could provide protein, this food source became important to human survival. The Japanese still use insects in many recipes today. If you were to go into a restaurant in Tokyo, you might have the opportunity to sample a few of these insect-based dishes:

• Hachi-no-ko — boiled wasp larvae
• Zaza-mushi — aquatic insect larvae
• Inago — fried rice-field grasshopper
• Semi — fried cicada (Japanese Beetles)
• Sangi — fried silk moth pupae

All of these insects are caught in the wild except for the silk moths, which are raised for their ability to produce silk. The larvae (young moths) produce the silk until they pupate (become adult moths). Once they pupate, they are used for food.

• Just as moths are used for their silk and then eaten, some animals in Western culture are used for their byproduct, as well for food. Can you think of some examples?

Kwara State, Nigeria
Some people in this region of West Africa are known to feast on termites, crickets, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. In fact, termites and grasshoppers are two of the most eaten insects in the world. So how are they prepared for mealtime? Termites are roasted over a fire or fried in a pot, and after cooking, the wings are removed and salt is added before biting in. Crickets are also roasted over a fire but before eating, the cricket's guts must be removed. There are some taboos surrounding the eating of crickets: many members of the Yoruba tribes living in Africa and in other parts of the world do not generally eat crickets because they worship Ogun, the iron god, who forbids eating animals that have no blood.

• There are major differences between insect blood and the blood of vertebrates. To learn more about these differences, check out Scientific American's Ask the Experts.

Thailand
In Thailand, mealworms, grasshoppers, water bugs, and even scorpions are roasted, fried, or spiced. The Sakon Nakhon Agricultural Research and Training Centre (SARTC) ships canned bugs worldwide; you can purchase a can of mixed insects for only $4.00 US. Each can contains an assortment of insects, including mole crickets and water beetles, which are pre-cooked, salted, and ready to eat. But if you're looking to purchase the red ant eggs, you may be out of luck — SARTC was sold out when this article was written. (Too bad — we've been told that the eggs are great on toast or in a Thai salad.) SARTC first began shipping canned insects in 1998, with the goal of raising more money for local villagers by selling the local surplus of insects. Insects are preserved in the cans and shipped to faraway villages.

• Read more about SARTC's efforts to preserve surplus agriculture and sell products to raise money for local Thai villagers.
• The United States Department of Agriculture's Science for Kids spoke with Dr. Bill White, an Agricultural Research Entomologist who visited Thailand and was introduced to some staple insect food of the region. Read more about Dr. White's experience.

Nutritious Flavor of Bugs
Insects are actually a good source of nutrition: many insects are high in protein, contain calcium and iron, and are low in fat compared with other snacks.

	Small grasshoppers (100g)	McDonald's® hamburger (107g)
Protein	20.6g	12.0g
Total fat	6.1g	10.0g

• You can visit Aletheia Price's Web site at http://www.eatbug.com.

The University of Kentucky's Department of Entomology agrees that "many foods we eat have insects or insect parts in them that we don't see." It is impossible to grow crops in open fields totally free of insect infestation, or what are known as "natural defects." Chemicals or "pesticides" are sometimes used to control insects, but exposing consumers to chemical residue can be dangerous. The United States Food and Drug Administration's Food Defect Action Levels ensure that chemicals and insect infestation are limited, but they can still be present in the food we eat. For example, in 100 grams of apple butter a defect of four or more rodent hairs or an average of five whole insects will result in legal action against the product and its removal from the market. That means that apple butter with three rodent hairs and four whole insects could find its way into your kitchen and onto your toast!

Here are other examples of food products that are legally allowed to contain insects or insect parts, so long as they do not exceed the Food Defect Action Levels:

• How do you feel about the FDA's policy that some of your food may be contaminated with insects? Which would you prefer: higher pesticide use at the risk of environmental pollution, or insects in your food? Provide reasons for your answer.
• Would you prefer that we hadn't told you about food contamination levels? Think how the public must have felt when Upton Sinclair published his book The Jungle. The story made people aware of practices in the meatpacking industry. The public reacted so strongly that legislation was passed to put new standards in place for the industry.
• Do you think there is a difference between eating shellfish (such as shrimp, crab, and lobster) and eating insects? Explain your answer.

— by Yael Sucher of the Harvard Graduate School in Education's "Technology in Education" program