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Talent Gore

If you think eating insects is gross, you may be in the cultural minority. Throughout history, people have relished insects as food and today, many cultures still do.

Ten thousand years ago hunters and gatherers ate bugs to survive. They probably learnt what was edible from observing what animals ate.

As time progresses, people have started opening up restaurants that serves edible insects like mopane worms (madora), grasshoppers (hwiza), crickets (makurwe) and other different insects.

Bugs remain a traditional food in many cultures across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In Zimbabwe, during the spring rains, winged termites are collected and fried, roasted and they are served with sadza

The transition to bug eating is not always easy for apprehensive diners, who can only think of “Fear Factor” TV contestants ingesting squiggly specimens.

Bugs really evoke fear and disgust that cause some negative connotations.

But, looking at how innovative societies are, we will soon start to see a variety of barbecued bugs going on the shelves of Zimbabwean supermarkets.

Tendai Chakanyuka, a Zimbabwean chef said, at first, he was put off by the thought of eating bugs but after having tasted some, he thought of bringing that experience to some people who are grossed out like he was before.

“I never used to like eating bugs back in the days. I would just stare at people eating them. I was literally grossed out,” he said.

“It was while on a trip to India when I decided to taste some crunchy bugs that were being sold in the streets. They were mixed with spices and garlic.

“So that experience inspired me to start experimenting with insect based meals and in August I opened a pop-up restaurant in Newlands that only serves bugs.”

Insect Experience is the first restaurant in Harare to serve insect-only meals.

Adventurous customers can try small bowls of insects, including mealworms, as well as larger dried mopane worms, which are already considered a delicacy in some African countries.

“People are looking for new things to do and it’s been going well,” Chakanyuka said.

“My pop-up restaurant is available twice a month, so right now it’s closed but this weekend it will be open and I am expecting a number of customers.”

Diners at Insect Experience can also tuck into mopane polenta fries with tomato chilli chutney or black soldier fly butternut ravioli with roasted chilli garlic sauce, both reasonably priced at ZWL$50 a meal.

The ravioli is made from a mix of around 50 percent insect powder and flour, said Chef Chakanyuka.

Edible insects

“It’s good for the environment and it’s the food of the future,” he said, adding that plans were afoot to expand their range into bug beer, biscuits and even dog food.

“Insects are very underutilised or not really very well understood, so we really wanted to try and highlight their potential. And also their taste, as well, because you know people don’t really know much about them, what they taste like, how they can be used,” Chef Chakanyuka said.

Chef Chakanyuka is behind dishes such as mopane polenta fries.

“We try to make it as visually pleasing for everybody to just introduce it. It helps with your mental block,” said Chef Chakanyuka.

He said he looked for a way to make people eat insects without them feeling like they were eating poisonous stuff.

“I was looking at modern ways of bringing insects into the food processing and how Western consumers eat, that was the original inspiration,” he said.

“Insect experience was a way to bring it to the forefront of people’s minds and transform consumer perception about eating insects, which is one of the biggest barriers to entry.”

Chef Chakanyuka hopes to encourage people to eat more insects, and products containing insects, as global populations grow and arable land becomes limited.

He says he sees a major boom in the industry if people enjoy eating bugs.

“As restaurants and supermarkets normalize edible insects, food manufacturers acquiring smaller brands and developing their own bug-based products seem to be likely next steps in edible bug boom.”

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation has said insects emit fewer greenhouse gases and less ammonia than cattle or pigs, require much less land and water, and that there are more than 1 900 edible insect species.

Scientists have touted insect-based food as a sustainable and cheap food that is high in protein, fibre and minerals.

“I’ve never eaten insects before. It didn’t taste like insect,” said Erica Sanders.

“It tasted like croquettes, it tasted like potatoes and chickpea with a slightly nutty, spicy flavour. I enjoyed it.”

In some countries, particularly European, eating insects is a hot topic and has been receiving lots of media attention lately.