Nutritional value of eating stinkbugs

If you have a hangover, and are tempted to eat a few stinkbugs (Encosternum delegorguei) as a cure, you might be concerned about their nutritional properties. Fortunately, there are a handful of scholarly papers available on the subject. May we recommend :

• Nutritional and Medicinal value of the edible stinkbug, Encosternum delegorguei Spinola consumed in the Limpopo Province of South Africa and its host plant Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. var. angustifolia

and

• Preliminary data on the nutritional composition of the edible stink-bug, Encosternum delegorguei Spinola, consumed in Limpopo province, South Africa

Note : Encosternum delegorguei may contain traces of : 2-hexenal, 1-methylbutyl formate, 3-methyl-3-heptanol, octenal, 2,4-dimethyl-3-heptanol, 1,1-diethoxy butane, tridecane, 6-trideceny-4-ne, 4,6-nonadien-8-yn-3-ol, 4,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane-2-cyclohecyl, 3-heptanol, 2-hexenal diethyl acetal, 3-ethoxy pentane, 1,1-dimethoxy heptanes, 2-heptanol acetate, 2-methyl-4-pentanal, 5-ethyl-2-furanone and 2-butoxy pentane. See: • Preliminary chemical analysis of extracts from Encosternum delegorguei using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy

Photo [detail] showing boiled and dried Stinkbugs, courtesy of Cathy Dzerefos, Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa.