By Daniel Rigney
This week’s Scientific American features a piece reviewing recent research on the paleolithic diets of our ancient ancestors, tracing these to the diets of apes and prosimians (e.g., lemurs), who evolved digestive systems not unlike our own long before we were on the scene.
What did these creatures eat? Their diets varied from one species or locale to another, but consisted largely of vegetarian food sources (fruits, nuts, leaves), supplemented by meat when available -- “the odd snack of a bird or lizard” and, it appears, a good bit of insect protein.
Most of us fail to take full advantage of the culinary opportunities presented by the crawling and flying inhabitants of the insect world, rich in their variety of colors, textures and flavors.
We don’t currently eat many bugs (at least not here in the United States, as a general rule), though I believe we will in the future.
By we I mean other people.
I expect that within a few years, upscale restaurants in our more advanced American cities will offer (if some don’t already) garden-fresh and well prepared insecta expensiva to excite the palates of their most adventurous and discerning guests.
I’m trying to envision the menu of some future Café Insecta, where imaginative food artists adapt traditional cuisines in the preparation of both familiar and exotic bugs. In deference to the squeamish, I’ll avoid any unappetizing word-pictures here.
I won’t trouble your thoughts with, for instance, images of char-grilled _________, or of sautéed _______ in a delicate ______sauce. And don’t even think about sampling a chilled plate of jellied _____ ______.
In the interest of good taste I’ll also refrain here from describing crisply blackened ________ in garlic butter, or marinated _______ legs, or ________ almondine paired with a refreshing dandelion wine.
For dessert, may we recommend the chocolate-covered Swiss gummi worms? I know they’re not insects, but at least they sound palatable. The kids will love them.
Looking further into the future, I foresee online ads touting a new all-you-can-eat insect diet as a weight-loss regimen. Studies will confirm its astonishing effectiveness.
We’ll know bug cuisine has gone fully mainstream when McDonalds offers ____hopper burgers in its happy meals, with a ___ juice chaser.
Those who have tried early versions of the burger say it tastes a little like cricket.
This week’s Scientific American features a piece reviewing recent research on the paleolithic diets of our ancient ancestors, tracing these to the diets of apes and prosimians (e.g., lemurs), who evolved digestive systems not unlike our own long before we were on the scene.
What did these creatures eat? Their diets varied from one species or locale to another, but consisted largely of vegetarian food sources (fruits, nuts, leaves), supplemented by meat when available -- “the odd snack of a bird or lizard” and, it appears, a good bit of insect protein.
Most of us fail to take full advantage of the culinary opportunities presented by the crawling and flying inhabitants of the insect world, rich in their variety of colors, textures and flavors.
We don’t currently eat many bugs (at least not here in the United States, as a general rule), though I believe we will in the future.
By we I mean other people.
I expect that within a few years, upscale restaurants in our more advanced American cities will offer (if some don’t already) garden-fresh and well prepared insecta expensiva to excite the palates of their most adventurous and discerning guests.
I’m trying to envision the menu of some future Café Insecta, where imaginative food artists adapt traditional cuisines in the preparation of both familiar and exotic bugs. In deference to the squeamish, I’ll avoid any unappetizing word-pictures here.
I won’t trouble your thoughts with, for instance, images of char-grilled _________, or of sautéed _______ in a delicate ______sauce. And don’t even think about sampling a chilled plate of jellied _____ ______.
In the interest of good taste I’ll also refrain here from describing crisply blackened ________ in garlic butter, or marinated _______ legs, or ________ almondine paired with a refreshing dandelion wine.
For dessert, may we recommend the chocolate-covered Swiss gummi worms? I know they’re not insects, but at least they sound palatable. The kids will love them.
Looking further into the future, I foresee online ads touting a new all-you-can-eat insect diet as a weight-loss regimen. Studies will confirm its astonishing effectiveness.
We’ll know bug cuisine has gone fully mainstream when McDonalds offers ____hopper burgers in its happy meals, with a ___ juice chaser.
Those who have tried early versions of the burger say it tastes a little like cricket.
No comments:
Post a Comment