Bangkok eatery serves insects in fancy meals

Insects ranging from huge black beetles to grasshoppers and silkworms form a major part of the menu of an eatery on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Sea bass in an ant caviar sauce, seafood risotto with grasshoppers, beef ribs with a cricket paste, scallops with bamboo worms and as dessert vanilla ice-cream with silkworms are just some examples of the distinct cuisine of the "Insects in the Backyard" eatery.

"Insects are the future. Experts have warned that the current food production system is stretching the planet and insects are the best substitutes for their nutritious properties, being rich in proteins, vitamins and other micronutrients," the chef, Thitiwat Tantragarn, told Efe news.

In a report, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) had identified the enormous environmental effects and water requirements of raising cattle and pigs on farms and said that the consumption of insects can help ensure sustainable development of the food industry.

The FAO has identified more than 1,600 edible species of insects and mentioned that they're consumed in 112 countries of Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas and Oceania.

Chef Thitiwat concocted a fusion between Western cuisine and insects to attract clients to a new gastronomic experience.

"The clients' response has been very positive, almost 90 per cent of them are tourists or foreigners. Although for some it is difficult to cross their mental barrier about eating insects, but when they dare to, they admit insects are delicious," the chef said.

His restaurant prepares insects in all manner of ways, from boiling to frying, to adding to sauces and creams and even in oil infusions.

Although it is common in Bangkok to find small carts offering a variety of ready-to-eat critter snacks, they are not popular among the affluent class.

"Many of them think that insects are a food for the poor, but few people know that bamboo worms can cost more than meat," the chef said, citing the price of 1,000 baht ($31) per kilogram for the worms.

--IANS

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