Ever considered dinner as being made from a wriggly worm? Although under normal conditions mealworms by Premium Feeders might not be your first choice, they are becoming more and more popular as a substitute protein source. Let’s head straight into this strange realm that could either make you squirm or merely tickle your taste receptors.
Both cooks and researchers have found great interest in the mealworm, the darkling beetle’s larvae. Like us binging on chips, many times it’s discovered chewing on cereal grains, a natural snacker. Therefore, why have these small guys become so well-known in gastronomic talks?
They are first quite high in protein. Mealworms have been resorted to by many people looking for a solution for world food security. Imagine the leanest of steaks, then much smaller and wrigglier! Their sustainability component is also rather high. Mealworms flourish in close quarters with little disturbance while cattle are engaged in tug-of- war over resources including land and water.
Imagine now a gourmet restaurant featuring carefully presented mealworms. Shockful? Already, cooks are experimenting all around. “Mealworm mousse,” everybody? Fry them; they taste nutty, an odd combination of bacon and almond. Toss them with some seasonings to have a crunchy salad topping—or even a conversation starter!
After a mouthful, one user—Sarah—quipped, “Kind of like eating a sunflower seed, but with its own legs!” Her laughing may have been revelation or maybe it was apprehensive. Breakfast includes bugs? Possessive.
Meal worms also act as environmental heroes. They chew through polystyrene, easily clearing plastic trash. Consider these small fighters fighting pollution one snack at a time. You wander, worm!
Naturally, there is the initial “ick” factor. Not everyone’s taste is for insect cuisine. But every time we sample sushi, or bite into a blue cheese, are we falling down a rabbit hole of surprise? It’s about challenging convention, ripping down cooking barriers, and rearranging things.
Little story for you: I once marveled in wonder as a vendor displayed mealworm chocolates at a farmer’s market. The merchant said, “They’re like Rice Krispies!”. With bravery, I tried one. Sweet, crunchy with a trace of the strange. Would I substitute my regular candy bar for them? Perhaps not yet. But did I leave, fantasizing of a world where insects and chocolate might unite? True.
Fortunately, trying mealworms doesn’t have us dancing around legality. These critters embrace you with open arms, or legs, unlike miraculous mushrooms or exotic birds. Mealworms are wriggling into the forefront and here to stay whether you dare to bite or just value their advantages from distance.
Is food’s future looking to be crunchy? perhaps. Are part of the answer mealworms? They have my praise worms, nevertheless. All set to venture into gastronomy? Mealworms’ universe is only a nibble away.