Workshop Teaches Taiwanese How To Cook Insects
As the world looks for more eco-friendly food sources, activists say it’s time for Taiwan to embrace its history of eating insects and change the country's current food regulations.
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00:00 What's sizzling in this pan isn't your typical ingredient. These are bee larvae. They're
00:07 being fried before being added to pancakes at this cooking class. It's a workshop hosted
00:14 by Taiwan's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency in Jiayi County in southern Taiwan,
00:20 where about 30 people, ranging from 2 to 76 years old, are learning more about a growing
00:25 food trend.
00:26 "The protein content is even higher than that of beef and chicken. The second place is
00:33 for the bee larvae. What is a bee larvae? It's a cockroach. So cockroaches are quite
00:40 nutritious."
00:44 There's been growing interest in eating insects because of their high protein and nutritional
00:49 content. Advocates say they could play an important role as a food source.
00:54 "In fact, in 2013, the UN was already promoting the eco-friendly way of eating insects."
01:01 Eating insects is still not very common in Taiwan. Under the country's current regulations,
01:10 only three kinds of insects are listed as safe for human consumption, although bee products
01:17 like honey are widely accepted by the public. Bee larvae is not so popular, but by adding
01:23 them to pancakes, it makes them easier for people to accept.
01:30 The cooking class isn't the only option for people to try some insect cuisine. In one
01:53 classroom at National Taiwan University, a professor is brainstorming insect recipes
01:58 with students.
02:00 "Team wasp. What do we do? Jelly. Ooh, I like that. Creative."
02:04 This class has been one of the school's most popular courses since it started in 2018.
02:10 This is the first college course in the country dedicated to the study of edible insects.
02:17 Entomologist Matan Shalomi from the United States shares his passion for insects.
02:22 Such as deep-fried black soldier fly larvae with students. He explains why eating insects
02:28 might be the way to save the earth.
02:30 "They eat much, much less. They need much less water. They need very little land. You
02:37 can raise them vertically, one on top of the other, and they don't mind. They produce a
02:42 lot less waste than animals like cows or chickens. So you're getting the same high-quality protein
02:49 for a fraction of the input. So it's much more environmentally sustainable."
02:54 While not common, eating insects is actually part of Taiwanese culture. Crickets and giant
03:01 hornets are traditional foods for some indigenous groups.
03:04 Timothy Seekings is from Germany and now lives in eastern Taiwan, where many indigenous people
03:10 still practice their traditional culinary habits. In his research, he explores the native
03:16 cricket as a food source, holding tasting sessions in markets and festivals.
03:20 "People are quite curious about it and quite accepting, I think, too. But then there's
03:25 also a bigger challenge, which is the regulatory framework in Taiwan. You have to be mindful
03:32 of the existing laws and regulations when you engage with this topic of edible insects."
03:41 Several researchers have proposed eating invasive stink bugs as a form of pest control. But
03:46 this has stirred some controversy because these bugs are not legally approved for consumption,
03:53 raising food safety concerns. In 2018, a startup sold packaged mealworm snacks that became very
04:00 popular. But the authorities fined the company and took the snack off shelves for the same
04:05 reason. Advocates for eating insects are raising public awareness of the topic and are calling
04:10 for change. "Korea, for example, passed a law, I think
04:14 the Insect Farming Promotion Act. It's not just saying these insects are legal, it's
04:19 saying we should encourage it. Insect farmers should get the same tax breaks as livestock
04:25 farmers. Treat insect farming the way you would treat other farming. Invest research,
04:29 invest agriculture. Encourage more people to grow it, to sell it, and eventually people
04:35 will also eat it." As the world looks for more eco-friendly food
04:38 sources, activists say it's time for Taiwan to embrace its history of eating insects and
04:44 change its food regulations. If it does, bugs like these could be crawling onto dinner plates
04:50 again soon. Luvvie Lee, P.J. Truong, and Sandy Chee for
04:54 Taiwan Plus.
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