Next time you're craving a healthy, protein-rich meal, don't reach for the read meat. Instead, curb you hunger with a helping of bugs.
While insects are not a new source of food in some countries – the Cambodian countryside has a reptutation for deep-fried tarantulas – South Korea hadn't yet jumped on board the bug train, however the country recently opened its first high-end insect restaurant in Seoul, much to the delight of local diners.
Photo via Korea Bizwire.
According to Korea Bizwire, the newly opened Papillon's Kitchen is fully booked for the next few months as local patrons flock to the restaurant to try everything from insect pastas and soups to croquettes.
“There’s no problem with food cooked with insects when I can’t see them,” a female customer told the news outlet.
Photo via Korea Bizwire.
Though rich in protein, insects are generally shunned as a food source due to their appearance, however the trend seems to be gaining popularity in South Korea. At Papillon's Kitchen, most dishes contain either grasshoppers or crickets.
Sometimes referred to as the “food of the future”, experts say insects could become a vital source of nourishment as countries around the world struggle to tackle food scarcity. One hundred grams of dried grasshoppers, for instance, contain over three times the amount of protein as beef with half the calories of rice and beans. Better still, raising the creatures produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than larger animals.
[Photo via Cho Sun]
