The Incredible, Edible… Caterpillar?

The idea of eating bugs is enough to give many people the heebie-jeebies, but in many parts of the world insects are an important part of a daily diet. Entomophagy is the consumption of insects as food, and in 80% of the world’s nations, insects like mealworms, ants, and cicadas provide an inexpensive source of protein and other nutrients. (Angelina Jolie’s kids apparently can’t get enough dried crickets.) Several types of caterpillars are common food sources and even delicacies in places around the globe.

Mopane Worms:
In South Africa, the larva of a moth called Gonimbrasia belina is one of the main sources of protein for the indigenous people. This caterpillar is frequently found on the mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane), giving it the common name Mopane Worm. Women and children gather these worms, sometimes bringing very small ones to trees closer to home to make it easier to harvest them when they are the proper size. Once the caterpillars are fully-grown, they are squeezed to expel the contents of their gut and then dried in the sun. They can be eaten dried and crispy, or rehydrated and fried in oil. Though not generally considered to be very flavorful, these caterpillars are 60% protein and also contain calcium and iron. Learn more about one woman’s experiece eating Mopane Worms here.

Silkworms:
Silk production is a huge industry in parts of Asia. The larva of the domesticated silkmoth (Bombyx mori) are raised for the cocoons they spin. However, these caterpillars cannot be allowed to finish metamorphosis and exit the cocoon naturally, as they will destroy much of the valuable silk. The cocoons are generally boiled and then unwound to preserve the silk, eventually exposing the pupa inside. In countries like China that have always been very populous, no food source can be overlooked, and so silkworm pupae have been eaten for centuries. They’re served boiled or fried, and are a common street food in China and Korea. One hundred grams of giant silkworm moth larvae provide 100 percent of the daily requirements for copper, zinc, iron, thiamin, and riboflavin.

Piagi or Piuga (Pandora Pinemoth Larva):
Caterpillar consumption isn’t confined to far-off places. Here in the US Pacific Northwest, members of the Native American tribe Paiute historically ate Piagi (other sources call it Piuga), the caterpillars of the Pandora Pinemoth (Coloradia pandora). They dug trenches around Pandora moth’s favorite host plant, the Jeffrey Pine, knowing that the full-grown caterpillars would climb down from the trees when they were ready to pupate. Older tribe members still harvest and eat these larva, roasting them in hot sand and cooking them into a vegetable stew.

Many other caterpillars are eaten as food around the world, and are considered by many to be far more “green” than eating beef, chicken, or other first-world meats. Existence of these insects in the wild, where they best benefit indigenous people, actually depends on the preservation of the land in its natural state. The caterpillars can only thrive in places where their host plants exist in abundance, so those who count on these insects as important part of their diet are especially willing to help conserve the forests and foliage the caterpillars need. Even when cultivated or farmed, caterpillars and other insects can be grown using less money and resources than the protein sources we in the US generally consider “normal”.

As the world’s population begins to grow, entomophagy will undoubtedly become more common in all parts of the world. Want to give it a try? Check out the Eat-A-Bug Cookbook by David George Gordon.

Photo Credits:
Mopane Worms: Arne Larson via Wikipedia
Fried Silkworms: Wikipedia