Once in China we were invited to dinner. The table was filled with various dishes, I counted about 20 of them. Among other purely Chinese dishes, there was a dish of fried snake with various spices, small fried shrimp (1.5-2 cm in size) and grasshoppers.
According to etiquette, as my husband whispered to me, I had to try every dish. I even shuddered from this message, I watched in horror how it was spinning round table and a dish with unpeeled shrimp “floats” to me. I grabbed one of them with chopsticks.
The crustacean had not changed at all and looked quite natural, everything was in place: legs, tail (fan), mustache - antennae and bulging eyes. I carefully began to pinch off my mustache, but when I looked up I saw that the owners were looking at me expectantly. Overcoming the unpleasant feeling towards this crustacean, I had to put it in my mouth, along with its legs and mustache... and after swallowing it, I also smiled.
The Chinese sat and cracked the crustaceans like seeds, but there was just a crunch. During the next round of table rotation, a dish with grasshoppers stopped in front of me. I don’t even want to describe the sensations that I experienced, but I still had to eat one representative of insects... Today we are talking about edible insects:
- Entomogafia - food made from insects.
- How do people benefit from eating edible insects?
- Edible insects.
- Dishes made from edible insects.
- Insect dessert.
Entomography - insect food
The practice of including edible insects in the diet and eating insects is common in many parts of the world and the reason is their valuable nutritional value. Scientists believe that on our planet already 2 billion people eat insects.
In first place in nutritional value are beetles, then caterpillars, ants, wasps, bees, locusts and grasshoppers, crickets and tarantulas. 1900 species of insects are considered edible.
The inclusion of insects in the diet and eating insects is called entomophagy. It is especially practiced in Africa, China, New Zealand and Australia, in the undeveloped countries of America. Insects are eaten in 29 Asian countries, 36 African and 23 American. Somewhere they are considered a delicacy, and somewhere, edible insects are the main diet.
In most developed countries, people view eating insects with disgust and consider it a primitive culture. Meanwhile, according to scientists, insects contain a large amount of protein, calcium, iron, low fat content and they are as nutritious and healthy as regular meat, but can be effective method combating obesity and diseases associated with it.
The question is increasingly being raised: instead of switching to genetically modified food, which does more harm than good, maybe switch to entomogafy???
It is not because of a good life that Africans eat insects; in their countries, people have been suffering from malnutrition for a long time; experts note that 50% of child mortality under the age of 5 in these countries occurs only for this reason.
And insects are a cheap source of food, rich in healthy proteins and fats. According to environmentalists, raising insects causes much less damage to nature compared to raising cattle. Nutritional composition, availability, simple methods Insect farming may be an alternative food product and help address future food shortages.
After all, by 2050 the population will increase to 9 billion people. This means that 50% more food will be needed, and according to forecasts, as a result of climate change, crop yields are expected to decrease by 25%.
Where to look alternative methods satisfy human needs for food?
Why don't we like insect food?
It all depends on the culture of upbringing. We were raised this way by our parents, the means mass media. WITH early childhood we hear what is edible and what cannot be eaten. If from childhood we knew that there are edible insects and we were treated to delicacies from fried grasshoppers, we would believe that there is nothing better than this food in the world and eating insects would be considered commonplace.
Insects in food. But nevertheless, insects still find their way into our stomach. It is believed that a person eats up to 0.5 kg of insects throughout his life.
According to Candidate of Biological Sciences Igor Bernikov, we eat mealworms along with bread, with jams and preserves, tomato paste, and worms and their larvae also enter our stomach.
Cooks are familiar with the dye “konishel” (E-120), but meanwhile, it is prepared from the females of the insect of the same name - the conichel mealybug.
I heard that some beekeepers feast on bee larvae, which have a delicate creamy taste.
What benefits do people get from eating insects?
I want to give you numbers showing the protein and fat content of various edible insects.
“So 100 grams of dung beetles contain 17.2 g of protein and 3.8 g of fat, caterpillars - 14.2 g and 1.2 g, grasshoppers - 20.6 g and 6.1 g, bees - 13, 4 g and 1.4 g, termites - 14.2 g and 2.2 g, respectively. For comparison, I’ll give an example of the content of these substances in 100 g of beef: 23.5 g of protein and 21.2 g of fat.”
In addition, insects contain chitin, which brings irreplaceable benefits in cleansing the body. From chitin, as is known, the substance chitosan is produced, which is included in all weight loss preparations.
In 2010, at the Space Congress, Japanese scientists presented an updated diet for astronauts, which included insects.
In some countries, such as Thailand, edible insects are bred on an industrial scale. It is believed that this is less labor-intensive and costly production. Insects eat very little, compared to pigs, no need large premises for their content. Scientists suggest that in the future the main food producers in this country will be farms producing edible insects.
I bring to your attention an introduction to the most popular edible insects and dishes made from them, which are considered delicacies.
Edible insects
Beetles. Of this order of insects, the following are considered edible: dung beetles, stag beetles, and rhinoceros beetles. These insects serve as a delicacy for the natives of Africa and some areas in the Amazon and other tropical regions. Horn beetles and rhinoceroses live on trees, undermining their bark. They are easy to recycle cellulose fibers, turning them into fats. Indigenous people roast them and consume them as popcorn.
Longhorned beetle larvae are eaten raw and taste similar to peanut butter.
Moths and butterflies. The insects themselves are very beautiful, but it is not the butterflies themselves that are used as food, but their larvae - pupae, rich in protein and iron.
Butterfly pupae are considered a delicacy; they are recommended for weakened children and pregnant women suffering from anemia. In America, its Central Southern regions Butterfly caterpillars are also valued, especially the fat and fleshy caterpillars of the butterfly that lives on agave trees. These caterpillars are added to alcoholic drink from agave, loved by Mexicans.
Bees and wasps. These larvae Hymenoptera insects and their eggs are loved by the indigenous people of Australia, Africa, and Asia. America and consume them like nuts.
Ants. They eat mainly red ants, which are large in size, but they often eat other representatives of this order. In 100 g of red ants there are about 1 thousand individuals, which contain 14 g of protein (this is much more compared to chicken eggs), 48 mg calcium, iron and other minerals.
Locusts, grasshoppers, crickets. Orthoptera have a neutral taste and protein content, therefore they are very popular in the cuisine of many countries. They can be combined with other foods. Using locusts for food allows you to control their numbers; everyone knows the harm these insects cause to agriculture.
Flies and mosquitoes have less culinary popularity. Of their large order of dipterans, only a few representatives are used for food. For example, flies that feed on cheeses acquire their taste, and species of mosquitoes and flies living near water taste like fish.
Rowers. These insects are inextricably linked with water, as they lay their eggs on plants growing in water. The natives collect insect eggs to make Mexican caviar, and they are also eaten raw. The taste of eggs is similar to the taste of shrimp.
Shield insects - These are representatives of the bedbug family. They are an excellent source of iodine and if you do not pay attention to their unpleasant odor secreted by special glands, you can get apple cider vinegar from them. They also have pain relieving properties. Green tree bugs that feed on the sap of leaves are used as food.
Insect dishes
Cheese with worms. It is called kazu-marzu, it is prepared from goat milk and cheese fly larvae. This product can only be found in Sardinia; in Italy it was banned because it is believed that it can cause poisoning. Worms from rotten cheese are eaten alive.
Boiled bee larvae. The dish in Japan is called hatinoko. The larvae are cooked in sweet soy sauce, which are combined with rice. The dish was especially popular in the difficult post-war times, and now continues to be in demand.
In Japanese stores you can find another delicacy made from bees - canned bees.
Grilled dragonflies. This dish is popular in Indonesia. Dragonflies are caught using sticks coated with sticky juice, the wings are removed and they are fried or boiled in seasoned coconut milk.
Salad with fried red ants. Fried red ants are added to salads instead of lemon juice and lemon because they are acidic (formic acid). They are eaten with pleasure in Thailand.
Fried tarantulas preferred in Cambodia. They are fried in frying pans and eaten with pleasure; their meat resembles the taste of fish and chicken. They also eat fried spiders, which taste similar to peanuts.
They love fried shield bugs in Mexico. They taste like cinnamon. They are ground and mixed with chili sauce or used as a filling.
Edible insects, rich in protein, chitin, calcium and minerals, are an integral part of the diet in many cultures.
Today already at European countries restaurants are opening, serving delicacies from:
- Orthoptera,
- Hymenoptera,
- Orthoptera,
- Lepidoptera,
- bedbugs,
- cockroaches,
- termites.
So far this is only a modern, fashionable hobby, but it is already in demand.
Sample menu of similar establishments:
Insect dessert
You won't believe it, but it's really true. The man is so enterprising that he has learned to make dessert from insects. Speaking of desserts... the Bible says that John the Baptist loved to eat “locusts with wild honey.” Our contemporaries have gone further, they offer insect dessert:
In many countries, such desserts are in great demand. Experts say that they are not only tasty, but also good for health, as they add energy and strengthen the immune system. And the desserts look exotic.
Restaurant visitors, when trying insects for the first time, more often choose dishes where they are used as a filling, for example, a cricket in chocolate glaze is easier to eat than a fried cockroach.
A few years ago in the center of London, right on the street, there was a restaurant that offered visitors free access to unusual insect delicacies. In such an unusual way, one of the companies celebrated its 85th anniversary. The flow of people wanting to taste exotic dishes was endless.
At this event, issues of possible global hunger and the usefulness of insects as a food alternative for humans were discussed.
Anticipating the reaction of readers, I would like to note that the article is offered not for the purpose of promoting eating insects, but as educational material.
- But read what is really useful for us.
Health to you, dear readers!
☀ ☀ ☀
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Hi all!
Man is born an omnivore, but few are ready to take this to heart and eat, for example, bugs, crickets, snakes or some disgusting-looking plant. Meanwhile, insects are eaten all over the globe: they contain more protein than chicken meat, full of iron, magnesium and others important elements Finally, it's simply delicious. Approximately 1,700 species of insects are edible. And they are regularly eaten in 130 countries around the world! These are mainly countries in Asia and Africa. But the fashion for “fried insects” is also reaching European countries.
But we won’t talk about the culinary delights of other countries, but imagine a situation where you (God forbid) lost all your supplies and equipment, or almost everything. Remained: knife, matches, etc. And you are not in the jungle, but in your native Russia, presumably in middle lane, in the summer.
Insects
So, what insects do we primarily encounter in the forest? You can eat mosquitoes and midges, but I think that the effort spent on catching them will not pay off. Let's look for something higher in calories.
Larvae of wood-boring beetles.
There are many dry trees in the forest, under their bark the beetles lay their eggs, from which, in turn, the larvae emerge. They feed on wood and it is not difficult to get them out from under the bark. If you have the opportunity to peel the bark from living spruce trees, then the smell of fresh bark will attract enough beetles, which are easy to collect. And eat it.
Ants.
They live almost everywhere. Ant eggs are especially nutritious. The ants themselves are also edible. It’s not for nothing that even bears eat them. In early spring It’s not difficult to collect ants, they come out to “warm up” in large clusters, just have time to collect them! And at other times, if you have a wet stick, you can collect ants without much difficulty. But in the fall they will have to be dug out from underground.
Wild bees.
It's not bad if you manage to find a hollow with wild bees. You can profit not only from the bees themselves, but also from their larvae, and possibly honey. But if you don't have fire, you shouldn't try to get them. Bee and wasp stings are painful, and hornet stings can be fatal. From a dry tinder fungus that grows on trees in the form of a comb, you need to make a smoke generator. Make a gag from grass large enough to close the hollow with the bees. And try, after placing the smoke canister in the hollow, to close it with a gag. After some time, the insects will die, all that remains is to get them. The wasp nest is quite noticeable and resembles a paper ball. If you bring fire to such a nest, it will burn very quickly, since it consists of cellulose; at the same time, you will fry the inhabitants of the nest and their larvae. When catching bees, wasps or hornets, do not forget that these insects primarily react to movement, do not wave your arms or run (or run very fast and far). And one more thing: when bitten, enzymes are released that serve as a guide for other relatives where to bite! Be careful!
Bumblebees themselves are not aggressive. If you don’t wave your arms too much, you can remove the honeycombs from the nest with your bare hands. Bumblebees usually live in abandoned mouse holes. But sometimes they build nests in the grass. Bumblebee honey has an indescribable aroma! If you found a bumblebee's nest, you're lucky!
Grasshoppers.
Grasshoppers are a readily available source of protein and fat.
They are easier to catch in cool weather, which will make them somewhat lethargic.
Flies, horseflies, gadflies and other “aviation”.
EAT THE INSECTS THAT EAT YOU!
Like most insects, flies are an excellent source of fats and proteins. In a survival situation, don't skip any food source. All this together will help you get through the next day.
Don't forget that insects are not eaten raw! It's best to fry them. Alternatively, dry, crush and add to other foods.
Amphibians
Frogs, newts and salamanders.
These small amphibians live around freshwater bodies of water in both warm and temperate climates. Catch frogs at night, when they are easy to spot by their croaking, and kill them with a stick. Eat them whole, after removing the skin. Newts and salamanders can be found under rotten logs or under rocks in the same places where frogs are usually found.
Shellfish.
These include invertebrates that live in water and grass: snails, toothless snails, slugs.
Recipe:
For cooking bivalve molluscs in hiking conditions, first you need to catch them. Although, with their speed of about 10 cm per day, the word “catch” sounds funny... You should not take very small and very large shells. The small ones are nothing to eat, and the large ones are old and overly hard. Optimal size– 7-10cm. Before cooking, the outer part of the shells must be thoroughly washed to remove silt, sand and bottom dirt.
A good, cookable sink is defined as follows: if the valves are tightly closed, then everything is in order. The mollusk is alive and holds the valves tightly.
Next, you should build a small fire. Cooking shellfish requires a lot of coals and heat, but not an open flame. When the fire is mostly burned out, place the shellfish on top of the coals. After 3-5 minutes, use a stick to turn the shells over to the other side. A well-fried clam allows the shell to open easily. This is a sign of readiness.
You can, of course, rake the coals and put the shellfish inside, and then pour hot coals on top. But this method has a drawback. Some shells spontaneously open when fried. This means that coal fragments will get inside.
From the shell they eat the so-called leg - a muscular process with which the mollusk pushes off the bottom and moves. This is a small formation of light beige or Pink colour. Everything else needs to be thrown away.
I tasted these creatures myself. The main thing is not to overcook or overcook, otherwise you will chew “a piece of a tire.”
Crustaceans.
Of these “comrades” we can only find one - crayfish. There are several ways to catch these inhabitants of the river bottom. Very often, crayfish are caught by hand, having marked a certain place in a reservoir where, by all indications, crayfish can live, they enter the water and carefully move along the bottom, inspect all the pitfalls, snags, and look under the trunks of trees lying in the water. as soon as they notice a crawling crayfish, they immediately, without delay, grab it with their hand, otherwise the crayfish can quickly hide in some shelter (remember that crayfish become surprisingly agile in the event of danger threatening them). Catching crayfish with your hands is an old, “grandfather’s” method, and, of course, the most primitive of all the others. In addition, this method cannot always be used - only in those reservoirs where crayfish are caught at a depth of half a meter to one and a half meters. In deeper places it is necessary to use crayfish traps, etc.
Crayfish go hunting after dark, so the most suitable period for catching them is from 10 pm to 3 am. in some reservoirs, crayfish go out to fish early in the morning, in the pre-dawn hours. so at such times the hunt for river “hermits” can be quite rewarding.
I personally recommend having a women’s nylon stocking in your pocket at all times. Takes up minimal space. We put something rotten in the stocking or the same toothless meat (its meat), slightly singed at the fire. We throw it into a deep place where we can’t catch it with our hands, and go about our business for about 30 minutes, you decide how long. The cancer is trying to get food and clings to the stocking with its claws, it is difficult to unhook. At one time I pulled out like 9 pieces. You can take several stockings.
Reptiles.
Don't neglect snakes and lizards as a possible food source. All of them are edible. Remove their scaly skin and then boil or roast them. Before skinning, hold them over the fire to make skinning easier.
Insects are an important food source in many parts of the world, and are also gaining popularity and acceptance in countries that have not traditionally eaten them. Why eat insects? Insects are nutritious and numerous. They contain large amounts of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. How insects are eaten and their nutritional value depends on their diet, species, stage of development, and how they are prepared. Thus, an insect that tastes similar to chicken in one case may taste like fish or fruit in other circumstances. If you've eaten insects before and didn't like it, consider giving them another try. If you've never eaten insects, here's a good list of where to start your food experiments.
Grasshoppers and crickets
There are about 2,000 species of edible insects, but grasshoppers and crickets are among the most popular for human consumption. They can be eaten fried, boiled or stewed. In some countries, these insects are farmed to be ground into edible protein powder. Grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts belong to the order Orthoptera ( Orthoptera).
Caterpillars
Almost all types of crickets and grasshoppers are edible, but the same cannot be said for caterpillars. Caterpillars are the larvae of butterflies. Like their adult forms, some caterpillars are toxic. Larvae of the South African peacock eye species Gonimbrasia belina is one of the edible species of caterpillars. They have a particularly high iron content of 31-77 mg per 100 g (compared to 6 mg per 100 g for beef). These caterpillars are an important food source in Africa, and are becoming increasingly popular elsewhere.
To others edible species caterpillars include Aegiale hesperiaris(commonly found in Agavero liqueur), as well as bamboo worm ( Omphisa fuscidentalis) and silk worm ( Bombyx mori).
Palm weevil larvae
Palm weevil larva ( Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is a tasty insect, especially when fried in its own fat. These larvae are very popular in Central America, Malaysia and Indonesia. Cooked grubs are said to be similar to sweetened bacon, while raw grubs are prized for their creamy texture. Palm weevils are tropical insects native to South-East Asia. Although they are abundant on palm trees, indoor cultivation of the larvae is practiced in Thailand.
Mealworm
Mealworms have long been fed to birds and other pets in Western countries, and they have also gained acceptance as a source of human food. Mealworms are easily bred in temperate climate, unlike many edible insects that prefer the tropics. When reared as a food source, the larvae feed on oats, grains or wheat bran with apple, potato or carrot for moisture. Their the nutritional value similar to beef. For human consumption, mealworms are fried, boiled, or ground into powder. They taste more like shrimp than beef, which makes sense since mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm ( Tenebrio molitor). Like shrimp, beetles belong to the. Many other beetle larvae from the order Coleoptera ( Coleoptera) are also edible.
Ants
Several species of ants are a highly prized delicacy. They say that lemon ants ( Myrmelachista schumanni) from the Amazon jungle has a characteristic lemon aroma. Leafcutter ants are usually fried and are said to taste similar to bacon or pistachio nuts. Honey ants are eaten raw and taste sweet. In Western society, the most edible ants are considered to be from the genus Camponotus ( Camponotus).
Adult ants, their larvae and eggs can serve as a source of food for humans. Ant eggs are considered a special form of insect caviar and have a high price. Insects are eaten raw (even alive), fried, boiled, crushed and as an additive to drinks.
Wasps and bees are also edible for humans, and are in the same order as ants.
Other edible insects
Other edible insects include dragonflies, cicadas, bee larvae, cockroaches, butterfly pupae and maggots. Earthworms are also a popular food item, but they are not insects, but rather annelids, a type of animal. Edible worms contain large amounts of iron and protein.
Although scorpions and spiders are not insects, people usually do not separate them. Like insects, these are arthropods and are related to insects such as crabs and shrimp. Spiders and scorpions are the terrestrial equivalent of seafood. Lice are also edible (though eating them in front of other people may seem a little weird).
Other arthropods that often become people's dinner include woodlice, water beetles (said to taste like fruit), bed bugs, June beetles and even dung beetles!
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Now I'll ruin my appetite. It is better not to watch for the faint of heart and hungry.
Entomophagy is the phenomenon of eating insects, inherent in many living beings (birds, reptiles, insects themselves, mammals). The definition was invented by man; therefore, in relation to it it will be said that in Central and South America, Australia, Africa and in many regions of Asia (southern and eastern) there are dishes and entire cuisines based on the preparation of insects, which are very popular. In fact, entomophagy is found in more than 100 countries around the world, and it is believed that in the future the number of people practicing this way of eating will increase due to the threat of world hunger. It is estimated that more than 1.5 thousand species of insects can be eaten in one form or another.
Strictly speaking, accepted safety standards do not prohibit eating wormy vegetables and fruits. It is known that wormy apples are the sweetest on the tree, and the possibility of accidental ingestion cannot be ruled out. Moreover, during his life, a person, without knowing it, swallows more than 300 g of insects, along with jams, bread and other products. It should be noted that insects contain a lot of protein. In some cases, certain food additives are obtained from them, e.g. food coloring Cochineal is isolated from crushed scaly insects that live on prickly pear trees. Proponents of eating insects believe that this can solve many problems with obesity, high blood pressure, and so on. In the debate about healthy food, entomophagy charts its own path, which differs from the traditional and vegetarian path. Unlike vegetarians, entomophagists believe that plant proteins, obtained, for example, from nuts and legumes, do not replace animal proteins for humans. In the West, entomophagy is now gradually becoming fashionable, concentrating in communities associated with it. But we can firmly say that even having realized all the advantages of entomophagy, many people find it very difficult to overcome stereotypes.
Proponents of insect eating believe it will help solve obesity problems, high blood pressure, bad physical fitness. In the debate about healthy food, entomophagy opens up a kind of third path, different from the traditional and vegetarian path.
Entomophagous (?) cuisine
Pate “Tender”
Any insects that are available are suitable for preparing this dish: mealworms and mealybugs, adult bees and their larvae, locusts, silkworm larvae, cockroaches. Fry finely chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic in oil. Put the insects (which must first be killed by leaving them in the refrigerator for half an hour), salt, pepper and the necessary seasonings - to taste. You can add a little white wine to the mealworms. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, and then rub through a fine sieve and keep on fire, stirring all the time, until all the liquid has evaporated and the pate has acquired a dense consistency.
Melt the butter and stir a glass of chopped worms into it. Add one tablespoon each of honey and granulated sugar and beat the resulting mixture in a mixer. Pour in sweet sherry and rum (you can add more sherry and a few drops of rum). Boil for 5 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve and keep on low heat until the mixture hardens. Remove from heat, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and cool in the refrigerator. The good thing about this dish is that it finished form nothing about it gives away the main component from which it is made.
You will need three tomatoes, one small zucchini, an onion, two sweet peppers, one head of cauliflower, a glass of dry white wine, one hundred grams of grated cheese, three hundred grams of mealworms, herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil. Rinse the mealworms well and dry and salt. Finely chop the vegetables and fry them in olive oil. Add worms and white wine to the fried vegetable mass and simmer for 10-12 minutes over low heat. Before serving, sprinkle with grated cheese and garnish with herbs.
Take 25 large crickets, put them in the freezer (do not freeze them!), remove the hind legs and place them on a baking sheet. Dry in the oven at 250 degrees for 1...2 hours. Melt a few chocolate bars and bring to a boil. Dip the finished crickets into the chocolate one at a time, then lay them out to dry on wax paper.
For the first time, women are offered, for example, a cricket covered in chocolate, in the belief that this will make the addiction faster. But sometimes even such yummy food makes women feel sick: crickets on their teeth make a specific clicking noise, as if they were squashing a bug. However, later, having gotten used to these sounds, thrill-seekers crack crickets like seeds and claim that even potato chips with their monotonous crunch cannot compare with them.
In Thailand, the cheapest insect dishes are grasshoppers and ants, the most expensive is baked scorpion. It will be served to you only in an expensive restaurant, always on a thin flatbread, with a light sour sauce. In the north of Thailand, they also eat live insects, especially live (they must move!) ants in sauce or sugar. If you want to hunt for food on a plate - please!
Madagascar cockroaches are a real delicacy! Cockroach dishes are based on traditional Thai cooking recipes and are considered “cool” to eat. Fans of insect dishes claim, for example, that these fried creatures resemble ham.
The most popular snack is the ugly-looking crispy fried bear. Connoisseurs also speak highly of the classic "cocktail", which contains four components - crickets, locusts, water beetles and mole crickets.
Pizza with rhinoceros beetle larvae
What you need (8 servings): 15-20 rhinoceros beetle larvae
1 red bell pepper
2 tomatoes
1 onion
200 g hard cheese
5 tbsp. l. tomato paste
4 tbsp. l. mayonnaise
For the test:
1.5 cups flour
150 g butter (can be replaced with vegetable oil)
First the basics. Mix melted butter with flour, egg and salt. Knead thoroughly, roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in foil and put it in the refrigerator for a while. Now for the filling: chop the tomatoes, peppers and onions. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater. Ready? Take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out thin layer on a baking sheet, forming small sides around the edges. Mix and distribute tomato paste and mayonnaise evenly on the surface of the base. Place tomatoes, peppers, onions and cheese on top (sequentially, in layers). Fry the rhinoceros beetle larvae in boiling oil over high heat for 5 minutes. Season them with salt and herbs, dry them from grease on a paper towel and place them on top of the cheese on the pizza. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes at 180°C.
What you need (4 servings):
1 cup mealworms
200 g long grain rice
1 leek
1 large onion
2 medium carrots
1 bell pepper
4 tbsp. l. soy sauce
vegetable oil
salt, pepper, green onions
Cook rice in salted water. Onion and finely chop the leek, mix and sauté large quantities vegetable oil until golden brown. Then add the pre-grated carrots, and after another 10 minutes, add the bell pepper, cut into thin strips. Simmer the vegetables uncovered for 10 minutes, season with salt, pepper and soy sauce. Add cooked rice to the vegetable mixture. Heat the oil in a separate frying pan and fry the mealworms in it a little. They should increase slightly in size as they fry. Once this process is complete, remove the worms from the heat so they don't burn. Now season them with salt and pepper, mix with rice and vegetables and then simmer over medium heat for another 5-7 minutes. Serve the dish hot, sprinkled with finely chopped green onions on top.
What you need (12 cookies):
48 well-fried and caramelized crickets
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 stick of melted butter
Mix flour, salt and soda. Separately, beat the butter and two types of sugar with a mixer, add the egg, flour mixture, walnuts, chocolate chips and 2/3 crickets. Mix everything. Sprinkle a baking sheet with flour and spoon the dough onto it, forming small round cookies. Leave a distance of a couple of centimeters between them - when baking, the size of the cookies will double. Place a cricket on top of each, slightly pressing it into the dough. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 180°C.
Earthworm cutlets
What you need (4 servings):
700 g worms (after internal cleaning)
1 tsp. lemon zest
150 g melted butter
white pepper, salt
breadcrumbs
sour cream
Place the worms in a colander and soak in boiling water for a few minutes. Then grind them in a blender, add lemon zest, melted butter, salt and white pepper. Mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with salt. Form cutlets from the minced meat, dip each one in egg and breadcrumbs and place in a heated frying pan with butter. Fry for 10 minutes on each side. Before serving, fill the cutlets with warm sour cream.
Worms are quite defenseless. Of course, they have a sufficient number of enemies who are not averse to attacking them or getting into the queen cell. As they say, forewarned is forearmed, so it is important to know the main enemies of worms by sight.
Fight the main enemies of worms
The greatest danger to worms is moles, rats, shrews, frogs and toads. Larger enemies - pigs and wild boars, badgers, calves, kids and lambs.
Most often, worms die during plowing ( rooks they like to pick them out from the surface of the ground), as well as during rains and in the mornings, when they do not have time to hide after searching for a partner at night. Worms have no protection, so any animal can accidentally injure or kill them.
The most dangerous enemy earthworm– mole, for which it is a tasty food. It lures worms into its hole with a musky scent. The mole eats some of the crawling worms immediately, and some, having previously immobilized them, are put aside for later. The appearance of one mole on the site is already a disaster. But it is necessary to fight it not with poisons (poison also destroys worms), but with mole traps.
Insects are not enemies, but not friends either
Worms also have small “enemies” - centipedes, moths, ants. They do not attack them, but take away food. You can’t poison centipedes, so you have to kill every one that catches your eye. And in the fight against ants, destroying their nest will help.
Remember that the main enemy of worms is a person who considers them not helpers, but pests. We must not forget that worms are hard workers. They are sensitive to various pesticides, therefore, by killing pests, you destroy the worms, and with them the soil.
Don't be alarmed if you see insects in your vermicontainer. These may not always be pests, there are also “good” bugs that are part of the decomposition process of organic materials.
Dr. Dan Dindal for a long time studied the relationships between organisms living in compost, he developed a whole scheme of their relationships. Thanks to this scientist, the world realized that meat trimmings are healthy and can be fed to worms. When one organism eats another, all of its energy is transferred to it. No beetles, ants or snails could survive in ordinary paper.
Those who eat waste are usually called first-level consumers. These are molds and bacteria, as well as microscopic lower fungi. It is they who give the smell that the earth usually smells of. Earthworms, which absorb waste, can also be called first-level consumers.
Second-level consumers feed on first-level consumers or their waste products. In compost, the second level consumers are mites, pinnate wings and springtails. They eat fungi and bacteria.
IN different time one and the same organism can act as a consumer of both the second and first levels. For example, if a worm eats a leaf or an apple, it will be considered a first-level consumer, and if there are bacteria involved in the decomposition of the apple, then it will be considered a second-level consumer.
There is also a third level of consumers, they are also called predators, they eat consumers of the first and second levels. IN compost heap these are centipedes, ants, mites. Some organisms are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye - bacteria, mites and springtails, for example.
Let's take a look at some of the organisms that live in a compost heap.
Enchytraeids- These are small worms that can be easily confused with newly hatched earthworms (their length is about 10-25 mm). But, unlike earthworms, which are reddish in color, enchytraeids are completely white. They feed on decomposed plant materials, which, like earthworms, are processed only partially. The products of their vital activity are the habitat of some microorganisms. It is not at all necessary to get rid of enchytraeids, because they help red worms process waste.
Nematodes. Novice worm-eaters sometimes confuse them with white worms, but nematodes cannot be seen without a microscope.
Springtails– primitive insects without wings, which can often be seen in large numbers in a vermicontainer. These are tiny white organisms, 1-3 mm long. If you bring your finger closer to them, they begin to jump in different directions. Although some species of this group lack a jumping fork. Springtails feed on mold and decay products; they take an active part in the formation of humus.
Isopods. Woodlice and mole crickets belong to this group. They are distinguished by the fact that their body has a series of smooth plates and gills. Since they love a moist environment, a worm bin is ideal for them, especially if there is manure in the container. Isopods do not harm earthworms because they feed on decaying leaves and other vegetation, although it must be said that their diet also includes animal remains.
Centipedes. These creatures really need to be fought. They do not appear in large numbers, but since they are predators, they can periodically kill earthworms. Centipedes have flat bodies and each segment has a pair of legs; the first segment of the proboscis has poisonous teeth.
Bipedal. They look like centipedes, but upon careful examination you can see that their bodies are not flat, but cylindrical, and they have twice as many legs on each segment. Unlike centipedes, bipeds do not cause harm; on the contrary, they are very useful, as they take part in the decomposition of organic substances.
Predatory planarians- flatworms, their bodies are pale yellow or bright orange with one or more long black stripes. They move with the help of thousands of cilia. Predatory planarians attack earthworms and, clinging to their throats, dissolve their tissues, sucking out the juice. They say that at one time, they greatly influenced the decline in the population of earthworms in the countries of Northern Ireland, and American sellers claim that planaria attack even those worms that live in containers.
Ticks. They usually appear rarely in containers with worms and, like springtails, are very difficult to see. Ticks have a round body and 8 legs. Some species feed on plant foods, while others eat waste products of other organisms. One species that poses a problem for worms is the earthworm mite. It is brown or reddish in color. They accumulate mainly in very moist substrates, and when there are too many of them, the worm begins to refuse food. You can fight them by setting fire to the food they occupy. To attract as many ticks as possible, you can put a piece of bread in a container, which you then throw away along with the ticks. To prevent these pests from infesting the container, you can dry it by removing the lid for a couple of days.
flies. It's a nuisance if there are flies in the container with worms. They do not bite, and for the most part they cause trouble not for the worms, but for the owners of vermicontainers. These annoying organisms, of course, can be fought with pesticides, but few people would want to poison their home or garden with them. They flock mainly to bad smell Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that food waste does not sit too long.
Ways to control flies:
By using cow dung. Manure attracts beetles that eat fly larvae;
Heating the substrate to a temperature that kills eggs, larvae and pupae;
Disposal using traps. To do this, use a thick transparent plastic bag, a container and apple cider vinegar or apple core. Take a bright yellow container, such as a mustard jar, cut the bottom and push it to the top bottom corner sealed package. Tie the bag with a rope and tighten the knot tightly, tie the other end, leaving a 25-centimeter loop. Pierce the bag and make holes for flies to fly up through the funnel of the bottle. Seal the bag so that the loop protrudes from the top corner. Pour a solution of one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a glass of water and a slice of apple into the bag. Close the bag tightly and hang it on a clothespin.
do not feed the worms for several weeks (do not give fresh substrate for 2-3 weeks), wait until the fly larvae become pupae and hatch into adults, then remove them using one of the methods described;
place healing nematodes in a container (there are special types, can buy);
using a vacuum cleaner (will allow you to get rid of adult midges);
several times a year add a glass of rock dust to the vermicomposter.
In addition, when adding food waste to a container with worms, cover them with substrate (a layer of 2-3 centimeters), which will help muffle the smell and block access for flies - they do not know how to dig passages to food.
Ants. You can fight ants with the following solution: boric acid, sugar and water (pour into a flat container, the ants themselves will run to the bait, which is poisonous to them - they love sweets). Barriers also work effectively, for example, you can place the legs of a container in cans with kerosene.
Pathogenic organisms. Many people fear that the vermicontainer attracts viruses and microbes, which can then infect a person. To avoid danger, avoid using earthworms to process cat and human feces. Those who are hypersensitive or allergic to mold spores and fungi should be careful.
As already noted, in your vermicontainer you can find many organisms, without which the entire system simply will not function. Do not be alarmed by the findings, but simply carefully study the features of the influence of certain organisms on the formation of humus.