Double-barreled article touting the benefits of edible insects and also taking us through a new cricket farm in Finland!
After shrinking income persuaded them to abandon pork, seven months ago the couple transformed the muddy pens where as many as 1,200 pigs once wallowed into a climate-controlled cricket farm. It’s on pace to yield 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds) of the edible protein this year, much of which is ground into an ingredient for products from chocolate and crispbread to bar snacks and breakfast granola.
It isn’t just about work conditions. Insects, already part of the diets of 2 billion people, mainly in Asia, are set to reach more dining tables as consumer concern about the environmental and social costs of producing beef, pork and poultry overrides the yuck factor of eating bug-filled burger. Using little land and emitting a fraction of the greenhouses gases generated by cattle, that appeal will grow as a surging population stretches scarce global resources.
Restaurant Ultima in Helsinki—opened seven weeks ago by two of Finland’s top chefs—offers a small tartlet made of hemp, topped with truffle mayonnaise and deep-fried crickets. In nearby Espoo, diners at the Fat Lizard can enjoy deep fried crickets with soft taco, lime, chili, coriander and creme fraiche. Ground-up crickets are mostly tasteless, which makes them easy to add to foods like sausages, cookies, muffins, tofu and even ice cream. The powder is a filling option, containing far more protein than wheat flour used to make bread.
