Crickets on the menu at CIA
There were bugs in my ice cream. Crickets, to be specific.
It may sound like an episode of "Fear Factor," but it was all part of Vassar College’s first food symposium, on “Building Food: Food, Space, and Architecture,” at the Alumnae House April 7-8. The pièce de résistance at the luncheon on day two was ice cream featuring crickets in not one, but three forms. A scoop of creamy vanilla sorbet was placed over grapes soaked overnight in cricket bitters, topped with maple-glazed crickets, and served in a martini glass with crushed crickets decorating the rim. Visually, it was stunning. However, it did not change the fact that the culinary concoction was essentially a cup full of bugs.
“I tried to go in with an open mind since I knew that crickets are a great source of protein and nutrients, and have a much smaller ecological footprint than raising cattle, chickens or pigs,” said Jennifer McKay of Pleasant Valley. McKay, a 1995 Vassar graduate who works as the Member Services director for the branch of the International Foodservice Editorial Council in Hyde Park, attended the symposium with her sister-in-law. While she said she enjoyed the lecture series and presentation concepts, she admits crickets are a bit too far out of her comfort zone.
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“I was pleasantly surprised by the taste,” she said, “but could not overcome the realization that it was an insect and therefore not welcome on my palate.”
Unsurprisingly, many of the desserts went untouched that day. The mental stigma against entomophagy, or using insects as food, proved too strong. Yet in many countries around the world, insects are regularly integrated into everyday cuisine. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, upward of 1,900 edible insect species are consumed by more than 2 million people across the globe. Since 2013, the organization has championed its Edible Insects program as part of the solution to feeding the estimated total population of 9 billion people by 2050.
Why insects?
“Insects provide animal protein in a plant-forward diet,” said Darryl Mosher, Assistant Professor of Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Mosher routinely incorporates insects into his healthy eating and sustainability classes.
At the Culinary, “we’re focusing on more of a plant-forward diet and smaller portions,” Mosher said. “The use of insects helps bridge that.”
Mosher praises insects as a source of vitamin B-12 and protein, two nutrients that plant-based diets often lack. He and his counterparts at the CIA use multiple species and formats of bugs, such as flours or whole insects, to highlight their versatility in everyday cuisine. In 2016, the school’s pop-up restaurant, Pangea, made waves by serving cricket popcorn to its guests. The crickets were candied and tossed with popcorn as an amuse bouche.
In his classes, Mosher and his students also work with high-protein insect flours, which can replace a small amount of baking flour in a variety of recipes.
“It’s not especially noticeable. It’s kind of subterfuge,” he said.
He points out that Americans often unknowingly eat a few pounds of insects a year anyway through common pantry staples. Case in point: the Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, allows up to 400 insect fragments per 50 grams of ground cinnamon and up to 30 insect fragments per 100 grams of peanut butter.
Don’t bug out.
Sneaking insects into everyday eats may be the way to go when it comes to getting Americans to jump on the bug bandwagon. One of the most successful incorporations of crickets into the mass food market has been through protein powders and bars. Exo, a New York City-based brand, has capitalized upon the high protein content in crickets with its tasty, increasingly popular snack bars.
“Crickets are one of the most efficient sources of protein in the world — they’re incredibly nutritious and eco-friendly, which is why there has been a groundswell around the edible insect movement,” said Gabi Lewis, co-founder of Exo. Along with his business partner and fellow Brown University alum Greg Sewitz, Lewis is attempting to “change the preconceptions consumers may have about eating insects, and (is) providing an introductory vehicle that allows people to experiment and incorporate this revolutionary protein source into their daily diets.”
With flavors such as Cocoa Nut, Apple Cinnamon and PB&J, Exo is on its way to becoming a household staple.
Of course, crickets are not just a “health” fad. As the team behind Critter Bitters discovered, the chirpy creatures taste great in cocktails as well. According to its website, the New York City bitters brand, which was founded by The School of Visual Arts graduates Julia Plevin and Lucy Knops, aims to “take the ‘ick factor’ out of entomophagy.”
“People are more likely to try something new when it’s in alcohol,” said Critter Bitters co-founder Plevin. She and Knops produce Toasted Cricket Bitters and Pure Cricket Tincture, both of which are available for sale on their website and in a handful of stores in New York and San Francisco.
As far as reactions to the bitters go, Plevin said people are “normally pretty curious and excited to try it.” She and Knops often work the bitters into punch recipes to play upon the drink’s social nature and make the cricket juice more approachable.
Drinking bugs in a cocktail may be a fun gimmick, but it is also a subtle way to lessen the social aversion to edible insects. The Cricket Bitters slogan — “drinking cocktails won’t save the world, but eating insects just might” — hits home on this point. After all, if people can accept crickets in their drink, then what is to stop them from testing out insect flour muffins and bug popcorn next?
Sabrina Sucato is a freelance writer. Contact her at life@poughkeepsiejournal.com
Creepy-crawly resources
- The Culinary Institute of America: www.ciachef.edu
- Critter Bitters: www.critter-bitters.com
- Exo: exoprotein.com
Food and Drug Administration Defect Levels Handbook for details on acceptable insect levels in food
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for information on the UN’s world food goals
“The Contribution of Insects to Food Security, Livelihoods and the Environment” for an outline of the UN’s insect initiative
Vassar College’s Building Food news release for the full schedule of the event
Spiced Candied Cricket Popcorn
Makes 5 generous servings
One 3.7-ounce bag of microwave popcorn
Olive oil, as needed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
Candied Crickets (recipe below)
Pop the corn kernels in the microwave oven according to the instructions on the bag.
Spill the popcorn into a large bowl.
Drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat the popcorn. It’s best to start with a couple of tablespoons and add more as desired.
Combine yeast, cumin powder, salt and cayenne powder. Sprinkle the mixture over the popcorn. Toss with your hands to coat the popcorn.
Add the candied crickets to the popcorn and toss to combine.
Chef’s note: The nutritional yeast, which is packed with tons of healthy nutrients, gives this popcorn a cheesy flavor that’s similar to flavored tortilla chips — and equally addictive. (Consider yourself warned.) Adding candied crickets to the popcorn not only provides additional nutrition, it also gives everyone something to talk about! Ounce for ounce, the protein in cricket flour is comparable to eggs.
Candied Crickets
Makes 20 crickets
1/2 cup simple syrup (1/4 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup water)
2 Thai bird chilies, crushed
20 whole, dry-roasted crickets
Prepare the simple syrup by placing the sugar into a small saucepan. Add the water and the chilies. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Take the dry-roasted crickets, and dip each one into the liquid.
Place the dipped crickets onto a parchment-lined sheet tray and dehydrate in an oven set at the lowest temperature until dry to the touch, approximately 40 minutes.
Chef’s note: Look for dry-roasted crickets online or at your local health food store.
Nutritional information per serving — Calories: 110, Protein: 2 g, Carbohydrates: 10 g, Fiber: 1 g, Total Fat: 6 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 140 mg