Entomophagy Discussion & Experimentation

[jared]

So! Last night I tried Porcellio laevis. Here they are right out of the freezer.

Then after washing, straining, and frying with sesame oil, wheat free tamari soy suace, and brown sugar.

Overall they were not bad at all. They were soft-bodied but had a slight crunch, and there was a noticeable difference between the flavor of females with eggsacs and those without. Overall I would call them... gritty. A beer definitely helped them go down.

Next time I make these I'm going to try baking them in cookies and sweet bread. I think that these are something that are better treated as a topping or raisin, just occasionally sprinkled without and not a bulk of the food. But that said, these were not at bad at all on their own.

My colony of green banana roaches collapsed this week unfortunately, almost all of the individuals I have died of old age and all I have are microscopic nymphs running around the substrate. My main problem is I don't have that extensive of a collection to cull!

Which leads me to my next point; if ANYONE wants to donate a colony or species of isopod or small to medium roach they'd like to see me eat, I am up for just about anything. My main goal is to be able to farm them on a large scale and see if I can make insects the bulk of my diet. I just don't have enough species and cultures to draw from.

 

[Matttoadman]

So I had read something about roaches having high amounts of Uric acid. Food storage or energy production, can't remember. If so would this create gout issues in those who suffer from gout?

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

So I had read something about roaches having high amounts of Uric acid. Food storage or energy production, can't remember. If so would this create gout issues in those who suffer from gout?

Hmm... Yeah maybe feed them a low protein diet for a while before eating. But cockroaches really aren't the best edible insects if you ask me. Crickets, mealworms, waxworks, grasshoppers, woodlice, etc. taste much better. Mealworms are especially palatable and probably the easiest to farm large quantities of.

 

[lovebugfarm]

I dont think uric acid in roaches would be a concern in humans as the amounts would be very small. The uric acid build up is a result of high protien feed sources such as dog food. Feeding a grain based diet like cricket or chicken feed would keep the levels low. I agree roaches arnt ideal human food softer body inverts are ideal although you could possibly focus your expieriments on nymphs. So with my lateralis colony i take out the ootheca and put them in a jar with holes when they start hatching i just sprinkle the nymphs into anouther container to feed my lil spiders. For my scorpion babys i freeze the nymphs first. You could easially make a paste to add to humus or dry and powder them for later consumption. Also why not try fryed ootheca? Hope this sparks some ideas love this thread

 

[lovebugfarm]

I have been wondering a few years about Dactylotum bicolor. I think in the wild they are poisonous but what if they are raised on cricket diet and alfalfa? Any thoughts?

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

I have been wondering a few years about Dactylotum bicolor. I think in the wild they are poisonous but what if they are raised on cricket diet and alfalfa? Any thoughts?

Well, the toxins found in lubber grasshoppers are destroyed by cooking, which has been discovered by both humans and shrikes. Perhaps it's the same for those?

 

[lovebugfarm]

That makes sence I certainly hope so. They are on my list of inverts to try to raise. Are there specific familys of grasshopper that are fully non-toxic ie safe for lizard/spider food as well as people.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

That makes sence I certainly hope so. They are on my list of inverts to try to raise. Are there specific familys of grasshopper that are fully non-toxic ie safe for lizard/spider food as well as people.

I've eaten carolina locusts and various spur throated grasshoppers and I'm not dead.

 

[Betta132]

I wonder if roach flour could be a thing?

I've eaten cookies made with cricket flour, and they don't taste like bugs. They just taste slightly nutty and a tiny, tiny bit like how large bugs smell. Not like dirty enclosure, just that "bugs are here" smell.

 

[nepenthe]

I've eaten dried mealworms. I think they were dehydrated (or baked?) with a little oil and some salt added. They actually taste pretty good! Kind of nutty and savory. I could imagine using them as croutons or even snacking on them alone.

 

[dogpack]

I know the poison dart frogs sold as pets do not have the dangerous poison because they no longer have access to the leaves that contain this poison, so perhaps this works with other species.  I'm just getting started with mealworms, roaches, crickets and isopods.  I have researched eatable insects a bit but need to continue my efforts.  My cricket and mealworm colonies seem to have dwindled for some reason.  I have to figure out why and make adjustments.  Any ideas.  My plan is to cultivate them for food.