Why Cricket Chips Could Be the Next Big Thing

The Western palate is certainly set in its ways. Eating insects? It’s still a novelty acceptable mainly on the sets of gross-out reality television shows. This is despite the urging of scientists and researchers who say insects are a tantalizingly sustainable and environme...of protein.

Although bugs are prevalent in the cuisines of other cultures, such as chapulines (grasshoppers) in Mexico and caterpillars in the Congo, to many Americans, there remains something, well, icky about chowing down on bugs. But three recent Harvard University graduates say they’ve found a way to change hearts and minds: Chirps, a snack chip made from ground-up crickets.

"We realized people aren’t going to eat insects as long as they could see what it was," explained Laura D’Asaro, who with classmates Meryl Natow and Rose Wang founded chip company Six Foods late last year. They found, however, that crickets dried and crushed to a fine powder “didn’t look like insects,” and peoples’ gag reflexes relaxed.

With Geoff Lukas, the chef de cuisine at Sofra Bakery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the trio experimented with various recipes until settling on a snack chip made from crushed crickets, mashed black and pinto beans, and ground rice.

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They make “sense from every perspective,” she said. “Crickets are basically a super food.”

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I don't have any objections to the cricket part - it's the beans that are bad for you.

Genesia said:

I don't have any objections to the cricket part - it's the beans that are bad for you.

PurpleJedi said:

Genesia said:

I don't have any objections to the cricket part - it's the beans that are bad for you.

Well, see...if the beans are fermented (which breaks down phytates and the triple sugar), you avoid that nasty little side effect - and make the beans a whole lot more nutritious. Most people don't take that step, though. They just open a can and eat 'em.

Genesia said:

PurpleJedi said:

Well, see...if the beans are fermented (which breaks down phytates and the triple sugar), you avoid that nasty little side effect - and make the beans a whole lot more nutritious. Most people don't take that step, though. They just open a can and eat 'em.

"Fermented"?

Should I google that?

insects are a great source of protein. easy to catch too, and plentiful.

PurpleJedi said:

Genesia said:

Well, see...if the beans are fermented (which breaks down phytates and the triple sugar), you avoid that nasty little side effect - and make the beans a whole lot more nutritious. Most people don't take that step, though. They just open a can and eat 'em.

"Fermented"?

Should I google that?

Actually, it's something you can do yourself. It just means you need to use dry beans (never canned) and soak them in warm water overnight with the whey drained from a small container of yogurt. Then drain them, rinse them, and cook them using fresh water.

Basically, what it does is to sort of "pre-digest" the beans so they don't cause intestinal upset. Doesn't change the flavor or texture of them.

I'd try those cricket chips with no qualms or skeez.

I'll pass on the crickets. I like crickets for some strange reason. I miss the sound of a lot them from my childhood, it was calming. Besides if your going to try something new then I think one should go for it instead of being wussy about it. It ain't like we're in a food shortage and we need to make what we have more palatable. The bean part definitely would turn me off, I like things like hummus but the store bought kind of beans I stay away from like the plague, bloating is painful.

My grandmother advised soaking dry beans in baking soda & water, that seemed to always help with the gassiness, but it was a many years before I found out why my beans were always mushy, I hate most mushy food, seems it breaks the beans down too fast, especially soaking it for a couple of days.

Genesia said:

PurpleJedi said:

"Fermented"?

Should I google that?

Actually, it's something you can do yourself. It just means you need to use dry beans (never canned) and soak them in warm water overnight with the whey drained from a small container of yogurt. Then drain them, rinse them, and cook them using fresh water.

Basically, what it does is to sort of "pre-digest" the beans so they don't cause intestinal upset. Doesn't change the flavor or texture of them.

lust said: