New York City has been at the center of many culinary movements. The city is widely regarded as the food capital of the world… could eating bugs be the latest?
Entomophagy is the word used for using bugs as food. Oh, but not just the bug itself, the eggs, larvae, pupae. Though it may seem strange, humans have eaten bugs from prehistoric times to the present day. Hell, if it’s good enough for Timone and Pumba it’s good enough for us. If we haven’t triggered your gag reflex yet, keep reading.
In reality, eating bugs isn’t as uncommon as you might think. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (2013):
“From ants to beetle larvae – eaten by tribes in Africa and Australia as part of their subsistence diets – to the popular, crispy-fried locusts and beetles enjoyed in Thailand, it is estimated that insect-eating is practiced regularly by at least 2 billion people worldwide.”
Even though there are many cultures around the world that dine on insects as a part of their diet, the Western world sees it as, in general, think it’s disgusting. Probably the reason you clicked on this article at all was because of a repulsion, or a morbid curiosity to the idea of eating a bug. Enter Brooklyn Bugs.
The Brooklyn Bugs festival aims to destigmatize the idea of including insects in your diet. In fact, it may become an imperative. In the same FAO report we mentioned earlier, “It is widely accepted that by 2050 the world will host 9 billion people. To accommodate this number, current food production will need to almost double. Land is scarce and expanding the area devoted to farming is rarely a viable or sustainable option.”
Brooklyn Bugs takes place from September 1st to 3rd in three venues in Greenpoint and Williamsburg. This eye-opening festival is a celebration of edible insects with an outdoor market, speakers, panelists, cooking demos and workshops.
Venues include some Brooklyn Favourites, like Kinfolk 94 (94 Wythe Ave), T.B.D. Brooklyn (224 Franklin St), The Brooklyn Kitchen (100 Frost St) and Guadalupe Inn (1 Knickerbocker Ave).
Check out the full line up for the Brooklyn Bugs on their official site.
If we are to believe the rumors, we eat around 8 spiders a year while we sleep… why not give it a go while you’re awake. For now, check out some of the bites on the menu:
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Featured image source [Brooklyn Bugs]