Chocolate-Covered Ants

I’ve had a few submissions for ideas on what to write about in this space. From explaining how to run a spiral curve on your driveway to writing a story on what has become of Richard Thomas. I’ve decided that writing about spiral curves would probably be too technical to be of any interest to anybody but a few select individuals. So chocolate-covered ants it is.

I found a great site called eatbug.com that has information on eating all kinds of insects:

Edible insects; you may feel that these two words do not even belong in the same sentence. You have every right to be sceptical. In all probability, you have never deliberately eaten an insect. However you have probably inadvertently consumed over a pound of insects in your lifetime.

Your insect consumption adds up. Flour beetles, weevils, and other insect pests that infest granaries are milled along with the grain, finally ending up as tiny black specks in your piece of bread. Small grubs and other tiny insects can be found in your fruit and vegetables. Insects are especially common in canned and other types of processed food, and even in certain beverages; I once went on a tour of an apple orchard and while the group was viewing the area where they separate the rotten and bug infested fruits from the good ones, I asked the tour guide what they did with the bug infested apples. She told me that they use them to make cider; waste not, want not! It is virtually impossible that you have not ingested insects in one form or another during your lifetime. And it probably did not harm you, but instead did you some good by providing extra protein in your meal!

Some insects are edible. In fact, most insects are edible, but there are a few species that are especially palatable, nutritious, and easily obtainable. I will concentrate on these.

• Many species of insects are lower in fat, higher in protein, and have a better feed to meat ratio than beef, lamb, pork, or chicken.
• Insects are tasty. Really! Even if you are too squeamish to have them as a main dish, you can make insect flour and add it to bread and other dishes for an added protein boost.
• Insects are easy to raise. There is no manure forking. No hay bale lifting. No veterinary bills. You can raise them in an apartment without getting complaints.
• Insects are beautiful. I think that all insects are beautiful, but most people I know will marvel at the iridescence of a butterfly, but shudder at the striping of a mealworm.
• Most people do not mind butchering insects. The butchery of insects is very simple compared with that of cattle or poultry, and nowhere near as gory.
• Raising insects is environmentally friendly. They require minimal space per pound of protein produced, have a better feed to meat ratio than any other animal you can raise, and are very low on the food chain. They are healthy, tasty, and have been utilized for the entire history of mankind (after all, it is easier to catch a grub than a mammoth).
• Also, as far as I know, no animal rights activists object to the eating of insects. You don't need to destroy any wildlife habitat to eat insects, and you can incorporate insects and earthworms into a recycling program...vegetable waste in, yummy insect protein out.

Wow! And I thought chocolate-covered ants sounded awful. It seems that some people are quite serious about chocolate-covered ants while others (like me) think of it more as a joke. Read on:

Chocolate-Covered Crickets

• 25 adult crickets
• Several squares of semisweet chocolate

Prepare the crickets as described above. Bake at 250 degrees until crunchy (the time needed varies from oven to oven). Heat the squares of semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler until melted. Dip the dry roasted crickets in the melted chocolate one by one, and then set the chocolate covered crickets out to dry on a piece of wax paper. Enjoy! This is a little time consuming to make, but definitely worth it...the crickets are deliciously crunchy!

Well, it ain’t ants but… I did find a recipe for chocolate-covered ants but I’m not sure the author was all that serious. This recipe sounds like it would fit on Ma Crang’s Recipe site:

Chocolate-Covered Ants

Yield: 6 servings

1742 large ants (if they are small use 2,044)

3 cups melted chocolate

Catch ants at a picnic site and keep them in a glass jar to which you have added a teaspoon of sugar to keep them happy. (Unhappy ants are liable to go sour before processing.) At home, pick up each ant with tweezers and remove entrails with a small, very sharp knife. This will take about 400 hours. If you are in a hurry, eliminate this step; you'll never know the difference. Dip each ant into melted chocolate and place to drain on waxed paper. If any of them are still able to crawl off the paper, let them go - be a good sport!!

Doug Yanega, head of the entomology branch of the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board in the US, says, "I eat them straight. Honeypot ants (Myrmecocystus) are the tastiest, but most have a hint of something citrus-like." Insects are a daily staple in many corners of the world, no doubt partly out of necessity. But some think "entomophagy" (bug eating) of selected "microlivestock" could be the coming thing in developed countries too.

So there you have it. Make your choice. Mine’s obvious. When I was little, my mom said, “Don’t eat bugs.” So I don’t. One final article at ABCNews.com is an interview with a recent guest on the Conan O’Brien show, David Gordon. He talks about his book on eating insects – very enjoyable reading.

As always, send me your suggestions for future columns on crang.com. See you next week.

© September 8, 2000