Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: kurite on April 30, 2010, 01:39:47 pm
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I live in the United States so the practice of eating bugs is practically illegal but does anyone here do it? I would assume as our species evolved we ate several thousand insects every year. Isn't this an important protein we are leaving out of are diet?
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I have eaten fried insects, but not raw.
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Good question.
(http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/6959/thethinkerbug.jpg)
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I see nothing wrong with eating insects. If paleo man already ate everything that moved on earth then why wouldn't he have some insects ? I haven't eaten them but I can imagine them as a snack in leather bag.
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In our northern province of Ilocos, people eat ants' eggs. But I think they are cooked.
I will try and look for some and try them raw.
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I haven't tried 'em cooked nor raw. My son says when I'm eating raw shrimp, that it's insects I'm eating. I'll try real ones in the future. Anyone have tips for starting for people that are squeamish about it?
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I've eaten a variety of invertebrates raw, including slugs, earthworms, maggots, ants, mayflies, and beetle larvae.
Slugs are very spicy (at least the ones I've eaten), maggots are subtly sweet and take the taste of what they're eating (I've picked them off deer carcasses, and have 'raised' them on fish that have been filleted in summer), ants taste like lemon candy because of the formic acid in their stingers, mayflies remind me of spinach, and beetle larvae have a variety of tastes and textures depending on the species and where it's been living. Earthworms don't have much of a taste, as I generally don't chew them, just swallow, so I don't have to bother clearing their guts of grit.
I suspect that prior to inventing projectile weapons, invertebrates--including insects--made up the majority of the animal protein that our species consumed. Think about it, we can't run particularly fast, don't have fierce teeth or claws, so in the absence of spears or bows & arrows how would we have gotten meat? Answer: we wouldn't, except for the rare instances when we found a dead animal another species had killed and we manage to chase it off. Prior to developing projectile weapons, we were probably more often the prey than the predator, except as regards invertebrates and perhaps fish.
I think our aversion to them is largely cultural. We've spent too long as Homo domesticus, and have been socialized to ignore an enormous and free source of high quality fat and protein in favor of ruminant meats that we have to pay for (and thus participate in wage slavery to earn). Accepting invertebrates as part of our diets is a step towards dietary freedom, in my opinion.
Suggestions on acclimating: start by eating a live ant, perhaps a carpenter ant. Don't try a fire ant, or an army ant, or a bullet ant if you live in tropical areas, or a velvet ant if you live in temperate regions. Find a field guide that covers your region to learn at least the groups of ant species, and avoid the ones that give nasty stings.
Next step might be to set aside the beetle larvae you find when gardening, or to turn over logs in the forest and pick a few from the dead wood (you'll most likely find lots). Beetle larvae come in all shapes and sizes, and most look vaguely like caterpillars. Crush their heads before you put them into your mouth, otherwise you risk being bitten, which doesn't hurt particularly but most people aren't used to getting bitten by food so it could put you off. The huge grubs that African natives relish are beetle larvae. On that note, some caterpillars are edible, but not all, and some will give you a hellish sting or are quite toxic, so be careful. I personally have never eaten a caterpillar and don't know their taxonomy well enough to try one.
Spring, summer and fall is the time for mayflies, so if you live in temperate regions with decent water quality, this is the time to feast. I've read that indigenous tribes in North America would go to war over mayfly harvests. Given their seasonal abundance and pleasant taste, I see why.
Most of the invertebrates I mentioned above are largely parasite free, at least in terms of parasites that can potentially become pathogenic in people. Learn about invertebrates first, and try ones you can find at least a few sources that claim them to be edible (besides me).
Happy trails!
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interesting, i had always thought slugs would be a bug to avoid eating raw... i thought i read somewhere that they have harmful parasites. anyways, i've eaten earthworms, ants, mealworms raw. i think the ants taste the best. i've tried a few different species of ants (not sure of their names) and the best ones were these large ants that usually are found inside rotting wood. fire ants are ok but you can't eat too many of them at a time. im definitely going to be eating lots of bugs raw in my travels to thailand next month
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Interesting point regarding the slugs. I've eaten just a few, and it was several years ago. I ate them after reading an article in Field & Stream that said they were edible both raw and cooked. Do you have a reference that discusses the parasites?
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interesting, i had always thought slugs would be a bug to avoid eating raw... i thought i read somewhere that they have harmful parasites. anyways, i've eaten earthworms, ants, mealworms raw. i think the ants taste the best. i've tried a few different species of ants (not sure of their names) and the best ones were these large ants that usually are found inside rotting wood. fire ants are ok but you can't eat too many of them at a time. im definitely going to be eating lots of bugs raw in my travels to thailand next month
You probably should ask a thai guide to tell you which bugs are safe to eat.
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Regarding slugs, here's an article I found that addresses the parasite issue. It seems to suggest that the parasites are mostly a problem in tropical areas. I live (and eat) in a temperate area.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_969551.htm (http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_969551.htm)
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Eric: i don't have any sources, sorry. that link you posted didn't look to promising though.
GS: good point. i'll probably just ask whoever is selling the bugs if they can be eaten raw. i would think that all the larvae sold would be fine to eat raw. and ants. not sure how i feel about crickets though as i've heart they can contain some kind of harmful parasite (i've heard most insects with exoskeletons could harbor harmful parasites).
don't ant eggs just sound delicious? i've eaten a few before but not enough to really get much flavor out of them. i would think that eating them in mass would be similar to eating fish roe.
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I never understood how we would know in nature which bugs to eat or not eat.
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trial and error, natural selection, and wisdom passed down from generation to generation
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I've eaten maggots, I would pass on those.
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my army friend said he was taught the nutritional value of insects in case of emergency. i think ants were a nutritional fave... or maybe just the least squeamish?
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The taste of maggots varies depending on what they eat.
Ants taste terrible to me. Sour, and not a good sour.
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I'm very interested in this. If you come up with any practical information, let's share. There's a lot of theoretical stuff on the web, but not so much on how to raise them, which have high O3's etc..what tastes good raw.
I bet those witchety grubs are nice.
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There's a lot of theoretical stuff on the web, but not so much on how to raise them, which have high O3's etc..what tastes good raw.
What are 03's ? Ozone doesn't make sense.
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O3 rather not O3s - Omega 3 fatty acid
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I suspect that prior to inventing projectile weapons, invertebrates--including insects--made up the majority of the animal protein that our species consumed. Think about it, we can't run particularly fast, don't have fierce teeth or claws, so in the absence of spears or bows & arrows how would we have gotten meat? Answer: we wouldn't, except for the rare instances when we found a dead animal another species had killed and we manage to chase it off. Prior to developing projectile weapons, we were probably more often the prey than the predator, except as regards invertebrates and perhaps fish.
Thinking from an evolutionary standpoint, though I hardly know anything about evolution as I am Christian and don't even believe in it, so please forgive me for any ignorance, but to me it would seem that it would make more sense that we became weaker after we began using tools to catch and devour our prey.. a dependence on spears or bows would mean that one would not need to use speed or claws to bring down prey, therefore natural selection would not necessarily pick the fastest or fiercest to survive anymore.. using knives and such to cut up our prey would give less dependence on our teeth for ripping and chewing up our meat, thus making our teeth more blunt and less sharp.. thinking along those lines, I also wonder if that would instead cause natural selection to favour those who were smarter with the use of tools instead of those who were stronger, thus also being a possible explanation for our evolution of intelligence.
I recently read an article about how chimpanzees are beginning to use sharp sticks as a type of spear to help them catch prey.. to the point where they break off the stick themselves and even trim it or strip it of bark.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6387611.stm
However, there are also a very many species of birds who have been using tools, including a woodpecker finch who will break of the needle of a cactus or a twig and trim it as a way to reach larva within the crevices of a tree, similar to the chimps, or the crows of Japan who drop walnuts in the middle of an intersection and wait for a car to run them over, and for the light to turn red before they go to eat the broken nut..
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/parrots-in-the-land-of-oz/birds-that-use-tools/714/
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QUOTE:
Sitting Coyote
Warrior
Re: Anyone here eat insects?
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2010, 07:42:54 pm »
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I've eaten a variety of invertebrates raw, including slugs, earthworms, maggots, ants, mayflies, and beetle larvae.
Slugs are very spicy (at least the ones I've eaten), maggots are subtly sweet and take the taste of what they're eating (I've picked them off deer carcasses, and have 'raised' them on fish that have been filleted in summer), ----------etc.
REPLY:
Amazed, inspired, and fascinated by your invertebrates exploits and envy your considerable courage!
Particularly intrigued by “have 'raised' them (maggots) on fish that have been filleted in summer”.
I would like a “blow by blow-fly” account of this! Was the fish thoroughly rotted before offering it to flies?
Important, because fresh fish does not seem to interest flies much!
I like fish tasting maggots, and get real “buzz” seeing flies swarm on meat or fish, encouraging them as much as possible. I can scarcely wait to see egg clusters, then long time before these are active. Feed with more fish (rotten? fresh? which?) to sustain them. My first attempt worked, but need advice to speed up process and increase yield, enjoy more often. Please help!
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I'm tempted to try ants, I have so many LOL but they stink so bad. "Stink Ants" and when I accidentally eat them well...they taste just as bad, but I'm still tempted. Maybe put some rotten fruit out and then when they gather...I'll down them and give you guys a full report.
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Amazed, inspired, and fascinated by your invertebrates exploits and envy your considerable courage!
Particularly intrigued by “have 'raised' them (maggots) on fish that have been filleted in summer”.
I would like a “blow by blow-fly” account of this! Was the fish thoroughly rotted before offering it to flies?
You can google "how to raise maggots for chickens" to find some interesting set-ups. Nice one I saw once was meat on a string suspended over a tray that caught the maggots once they hatched and fell from the meat.