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Eat-a-bug Cookbook
With its stylish new package, updated information on the health and environmental benefits of insect eating, and breed-your-own instructions, this new edition of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook is the go-to resource for anyone interested in becoming an entomological epicure. Before Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain began seeking out exotic and outright bizarre foods, The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook established insect cuisine as the new food frontier and has sold consistently over the last decade. Today, insect eating is more than just a fringe movement and this revised edition of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook is a complete primer for everyone who wants to source, cook, and broaden their culinary horizons with edible insects.
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First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 23, 2017
Who's never eaten any insects in his/her life? If you are getting ready to raise your hand with a carefree attitude, take that hand and shove it up to your ... mouth, to help with the pukey feelies that'll come after I tell you; don't be daft of course you've eaten bugs and you keep eating them everyday.
And I'm not talking about eating a big bowl of cherry in the dark, while watching a movie and realising that cherries were full of fruit worms when you've taken a break and turned on the lights *which totally happened to me* or eating ants/grasshoppers on a dare *again it happens and yes they taste like chicken =p * I'm talking about your daily intake of side proteins in the form of your everyday food. Because insects are in grains, fruits, vegetables and naturally in the yummy fruit juices you drink, tomato pastes you use, any kind of flour you bake with.
Having played in a flour mill as a child and helped my grandma to prepare her winter stores, I already knew that no matter how careful you are, a couple of bugs slips trough. *and I don't think food producers tries as hard as we did* As a far away knowledge that didn't touch reality. But the author here reminds you of that with glee in the beginning of the book. With actual percentages and everything! You cancurse thank him for this little tidbit.
I've had to suffer through the whole book thanks to my stupid arse for accepting the darevicious lovely Orient threw at me. Naturally, I want everyone to suffer this with me!
We'll start with a little heart warming story from the book;
Wow I'm convinced. Except the part where she admitted to committing a murder by negligence, this is the perfect argument! If a spider has thrived on a diet of bugs, that must be the most logical way for human beings to feed also! Joking aside, trantula and bird eater spider as a pet??? Fuck dat sideways! Yeah yeah, to each his/her own but I just can't get past the OMG SPIDER KIIIILLL EEETTTT instinct.
I am giving myself nightmares with the possibilities; imagining her sleeping, cuddling her pet and the spider laying eggs inside her ear and mouth. And then little baby tarantulas eating their cute little ways out of her damn body. * don't come to me with scientific explanations, that is possible in bubble-verse and something to be fucking terrified of!*
only way to take care of that problem is to burn that house down!
Another downside was that the author, tries too hard to convince the readers, eating bugs is awesome and the cure for environmental problems. If he had tied achieving world peace to eating bugs, I wouldn't have been astonished.
To be fair, he makes good points. You can see that he knows his subject and that he is well travelled and knowledgeable. And his recipes are very easy to follow. Still... I'll take the SUV.
I won't be eating bugs unless I'm starving and there is nothing else around -I'm not so prissy I'll die before touching ewwie stuff.
ps: love the horror shelving!
And I'm not talking about eating a big bowl of cherry in the dark, while watching a movie and realising that cherries were full of fruit worms when you've taken a break and turned on the lights *which totally happened to me* or eating ants/grasshoppers on a dare *again it happens and yes they taste like chicken =p * I'm talking about your daily intake of side proteins in the form of your everyday food. Because insects are in grains, fruits, vegetables and naturally in the yummy fruit juices you drink, tomato pastes you use, any kind of flour you bake with.
Having played in a flour mill as a child and helped my grandma to prepare her winter stores, I already knew that no matter how careful you are, a couple of bugs slips trough. *and I don't think food producers tries as hard as we did* As a far away knowledge that didn't touch reality. But the author here reminds you of that with glee in the beginning of the book. With actual percentages and everything! You can
I've had to suffer through the whole book thanks to my stupid arse for accepting the dare
We'll start with a little heart warming story from the book;
With a nappy covering of reddish-brown bristles and a legspan of about eight inches, my pet Chilean rose tarantula, Doris, was my unofficial taste tester for nearly a decade. She would gobble crickets, mealworms, and any other live leftovers from my bug-cooking experiments with zeal. But when she passed away in 2005, I began looking for her replacement. Doris proved a hard act to follow. I first tried a baby goliath bird-eating spider, the juvenile form of the largest spider species on earth. But I learned only after the might-be-giant arachnid died in an unsuccessful attempt to molt that individuals of this species require more care, including carefully controlled humidity and heat, in order to thrive. Next I acquired a Texas brown tarantula, captured in, of all places, Roswell, New Mexico, near the alleged site of a 1947 UFO crash. That specimen, named Ernest, proved too feisty, biting whenever he was handled, so I wound up giving him to a couple of dear friends who were okay with this. In 2012, I purchased Wes, a Mexican rose-gray tarantula spiderling about the size of a Cheerio. Raised on a protein-rich diet of farm-reared crickets and wild-caught pill bugs, Wes has grown rapidly. He has molted six times as of this writing, each time emerging from his cast-off body armor as a bigger, more robust beastie. Currently, the size of a silver dollar, and likely to exceed Doris in heft someday, the junior mascot of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook is living proof that a diet of bugs has its benefits.
Wow I'm convinced. Except the part where she admitted to committing a murder by negligence, this is the perfect argument! If a spider has thrived on a diet of bugs, that must be the most logical way for human beings to feed also! Joking aside, trantula and bird eater spider as a pet??? Fuck dat sideways! Yeah yeah, to each his/her own but I just can't get past the OMG SPIDER KIIIILLL EEETTTT instinct.
I am giving myself nightmares with the possibilities; imagining her sleeping, cuddling her pet and the spider laying eggs inside her ear and mouth. And then little baby tarantulas eating their cute little ways out of her damn body. * don't come to me with scientific explanations, that is possible in bubble-verse and something to be fucking terrified of!*
only way to take care of that problem is to burn that house down!
Another downside was that the author, tries too hard to convince the readers, eating bugs is awesome and the cure for environmental problems. If he had tied achieving world peace to eating bugs, I wouldn't have been astonished.
"In terms of the environment, eating insects is like riding a bicycle. Eating a steak is like driving a big gas-guzzling SUV.” Need more reasons to order a bug burger instead of a Big Mac? Then let me point out that many of our common garden pests are edible. If everyone served rapacious critters such as weevils and tomato hornworms for lunch or dinner, we’d have little need for most over-the-counter pesticide powders and sprays. On a global scale, this could make an incredible difference to the health of the environment and to humankind.
To be fair, he makes good points. You can see that he knows his subject and that he is well travelled and knowledgeable. And his recipes are very easy to follow. Still... I'll take the SUV.
I won't be eating bugs unless I'm starving and there is nothing else around -I'm not so prissy I'll die before touching ewwie stuff.
ps: love the horror shelving!
May 22, 2016
A bug stew, a bug pizza, a bug soup? Thanks, but no! A baked bug, covered with chocolate? Errr.... Maybe....... When I first saw the image of the cover, it wasn't disgusting or ugly — it was almost inviting to taste. Is this the first sign of the bug insanity disorder? Hope not! But just load your guns in case and be prepared :D
At first let’s have some statistics: The biggest part of the world population already eats bugs, according to the author. Only USA, Canada and Europe are the weirdos, to avoid eating bugs (Doh, really weird :D) and of course, countries or continents which don't have bugs at all. There are people who try to change that and make the eating of bugs more attractive to others, because bugs are nutritious, there are lots of them and they are an excellent source of protein. So go, hunt your protein bar in the grass or in the bushes ;))). And you'll say, but it's ugly and not tasty! That's where David George Gordon comes to help you!!!
This book contains a lot of advice about how to catch, grow, cook and store your new crunchy prey. You can find recipes for chocolate fondue, curried stews, soups, even pizza and more, all with various bugs, there.
Here’s one:
WHITE CHOCOLATE AND WAX WORM COOKIES
Yield: about 3 dozen cookies
These are likely the best bug cookies you’ll ever eat. And if your granny couldn’t see the baked caterpillars peeking out of the dough, she’d undoubtedly ask for seconds
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups white chocolate chunks or morsels
¾ cup (about 375) frozen wax worms, thawed
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown and granulated sugars, and vanilla extract until creamy.
3. Stir the egg into the butter mixture, then gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the white chocolate chunks and half of the wax worms, reserving the rest for garnishing the cookies.
4. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonful onto nonstick baking sheets.
5. Gently press 2 or 3 of the remaining wax worms into the top of each cookie.
6. Bake until the edges of each cookie are lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes.
7. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
One more suggestion about how to deal with bugs, Cicadas, this time:
To arrest any further development, we recommend plunging these captives into ice water (as Leland Howard did) or freezing them. Otherwise you may have to mount an aerial search to recapture your ingredients.
And some important stuff about the meals with Cicadas and how to prepare them: Wait 13 to 17 years and repeat this entire sequence.
Also, this book has some warnings:
WARNING: AVOID THIS DEADLY ALTERNATIVE
Millipedes (class Diplopoda) should never be substituted for centipedes in a dish. These animals secrete a foul-smelling fluid that, in some species, may contain traces of hydrogen cyanide—not good, unless you’re from the Borgia household.
The book has interesting historical, cultural and scientific information, too. It makes this book extraordinary, because all the information is presented with a touch of humor.
So, are you ready for bugs in your menu?:D Here are some cookies, please eat some while you think ;)
At first let’s have some statistics: The biggest part of the world population already eats bugs, according to the author. Only USA, Canada and Europe are the weirdos, to avoid eating bugs (Doh, really weird :D) and of course, countries or continents which don't have bugs at all. There are people who try to change that and make the eating of bugs more attractive to others, because bugs are nutritious, there are lots of them and they are an excellent source of protein. So go, hunt your protein bar in the grass or in the bushes ;))). And you'll say, but it's ugly and not tasty! That's where David George Gordon comes to help you!!!
This book contains a lot of advice about how to catch, grow, cook and store your new crunchy prey. You can find recipes for chocolate fondue, curried stews, soups, even pizza and more, all with various bugs, there.
Here’s one:
WHITE CHOCOLATE AND WAX WORM COOKIES
Yield: about 3 dozen cookies
These are likely the best bug cookies you’ll ever eat. And if your granny couldn’t see the baked caterpillars peeking out of the dough, she’d undoubtedly ask for seconds
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups white chocolate chunks or morsels
¾ cup (about 375) frozen wax worms, thawed
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown and granulated sugars, and vanilla extract until creamy.
3. Stir the egg into the butter mixture, then gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the white chocolate chunks and half of the wax worms, reserving the rest for garnishing the cookies.
4. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonful onto nonstick baking sheets.
5. Gently press 2 or 3 of the remaining wax worms into the top of each cookie.
6. Bake until the edges of each cookie are lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes.
7. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
One more suggestion about how to deal with bugs, Cicadas, this time:
To arrest any further development, we recommend plunging these captives into ice water (as Leland Howard did) or freezing them. Otherwise you may have to mount an aerial search to recapture your ingredients.
And some important stuff about the meals with Cicadas and how to prepare them: Wait 13 to 17 years and repeat this entire sequence.
Also, this book has some warnings:
WARNING: AVOID THIS DEADLY ALTERNATIVE
Millipedes (class Diplopoda) should never be substituted for centipedes in a dish. These animals secrete a foul-smelling fluid that, in some species, may contain traces of hydrogen cyanide—not good, unless you’re from the Borgia household.
The book has interesting historical, cultural and scientific information, too. It makes this book extraordinary, because all the information is presented with a touch of humor.
So, are you ready for bugs in your menu?:D Here are some cookies, please eat some while you think ;)
Read
August 18, 2020Looking forward to trying a few recipes... as soon as I manage to catch enough critters ;-)
July 15, 2013
This might be one of those books you buy as a quirky gift, or possibly even out of sheer frustration that you've tried every other type of food and fancy something new. Maybe even, it must be acknowledged, that you in fact enjoy eating bugs!
Maybe it sounds better if you are, as the introduction notes, "embracing entomophagy" and certainly with this book you will get some answers to the fairly common questions about eating bugs after the initial icky-factor hesitancy that seems in-built into so many people. At the time of writing this reviewer is planning a visit to an Asian land where eating bugs is more common. One is certainly more forewarned and forearmed but will he try them…? No doubt it is a truism that we often eat with our eyes and yet it does feel a step too far…
In any case, this book was interesting if not out of sheer morbid curiosity. We are, in any case, eating insects when we don't know about it. Before you get angry and suspect your neighbourhood foreign fast-food restaurant of hygiene crimes, it is all allowed by the rules set by many countries. As the book explains, "… the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has established the permissible degrees of insect damage and infestation (that’s right, the allowable number of eggs, immature and adult insects, or their parts) for various foods." The standards are set, primarily for aesthetic rather than actual healthcare reasons, whilst admitting that it is virtually impossible to keep many foodstuffs bug-free.
Mind you, that still may feel a lot less troublesome than sticking a once wiggling caterpillar on your fork! This book will either resolve or reinforce many prejudices, have your jaw either dropping or you drooling with each revelation. A mass of information shows the passion and seriousness that the subject holds for the author and it is a lot more than just grab an insect and eat it. Perhaps there is too much information …
As for the recipes, well this reviewer has NOT (yet) tried the delights such as Deep-Fried Tarantula or Pear Salad with Chiangbai Ants. The recipes themselves appear well-written, some rather too graphic accompanying photographs and written in a matter-of-fact style as if one would fry ants everyday…
What more to say. This is one of those books that this reviewer probably wouldn't have bought for himself yet he wouldn't throw it away as a gift. It is an interesting, rather different book but maybe still a step too far for this culinary coward to buy AND try. Mind you, people do wonder how many can eat Haggis… yum! Buy or try the book, you probably won't see something so positively different this year.
The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook: 40 Ways to Cook Crickets, Grasshoppers, Ants, Water Bugs, Spiders, Centipedes, and Their Kin, written by David George Gordon and published by Ten Speed Press. ISBN 9781607744368, 126 pages. Typical price: USD16.99. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
Maybe it sounds better if you are, as the introduction notes, "embracing entomophagy" and certainly with this book you will get some answers to the fairly common questions about eating bugs after the initial icky-factor hesitancy that seems in-built into so many people. At the time of writing this reviewer is planning a visit to an Asian land where eating bugs is more common. One is certainly more forewarned and forearmed but will he try them…? No doubt it is a truism that we often eat with our eyes and yet it does feel a step too far…
In any case, this book was interesting if not out of sheer morbid curiosity. We are, in any case, eating insects when we don't know about it. Before you get angry and suspect your neighbourhood foreign fast-food restaurant of hygiene crimes, it is all allowed by the rules set by many countries. As the book explains, "… the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has established the permissible degrees of insect damage and infestation (that’s right, the allowable number of eggs, immature and adult insects, or their parts) for various foods." The standards are set, primarily for aesthetic rather than actual healthcare reasons, whilst admitting that it is virtually impossible to keep many foodstuffs bug-free.
Mind you, that still may feel a lot less troublesome than sticking a once wiggling caterpillar on your fork! This book will either resolve or reinforce many prejudices, have your jaw either dropping or you drooling with each revelation. A mass of information shows the passion and seriousness that the subject holds for the author and it is a lot more than just grab an insect and eat it. Perhaps there is too much information …
As for the recipes, well this reviewer has NOT (yet) tried the delights such as Deep-Fried Tarantula or Pear Salad with Chiangbai Ants. The recipes themselves appear well-written, some rather too graphic accompanying photographs and written in a matter-of-fact style as if one would fry ants everyday…
What more to say. This is one of those books that this reviewer probably wouldn't have bought for himself yet he wouldn't throw it away as a gift. It is an interesting, rather different book but maybe still a step too far for this culinary coward to buy AND try. Mind you, people do wonder how many can eat Haggis… yum! Buy or try the book, you probably won't see something so positively different this year.
The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook: 40 Ways to Cook Crickets, Grasshoppers, Ants, Water Bugs, Spiders, Centipedes, and Their Kin, written by David George Gordon and published by Ten Speed Press. ISBN 9781607744368, 126 pages. Typical price: USD16.99. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
November 29, 2014
Very thorough exploration of the subject of eating insects either for fun or to experience something common in other cultures. Chef Gordon often travels the country and was even seen at the Box Trolls Premiere where one of the stars of the film couldn't eat his fried Scorpion since he's allergic to shellfish and they are in the same family. Many helpful tidbits such as this are presented in the book as is the danger of eating raw insects and the parasites they can carry. I had met Chef Gordon at his April Fool's Day Annual visit to the Ripley's Museum and tasted a number of interesting bugs. He covered the need for proper cooking in his lecture there but goes into further in the book which I suggest you read if you are worried about surviving the Zombie Apocalypse by eating ants and grubs! Great book, wonderful photos - I'm a bug eater now!
September 17, 2013
The recipes all looked really good, but I'm not sure I'm ready to start eating bugs.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews