by JAMES S. KIM
Everyone makes a fuss over anchovies on pizza, but there have been worse toppings. I mean, sweet potatoes? That doesn’t fly for this Korean foodie/fattie (interchangeable). You want to make this dish even heavier?
But if a creepy-crawly topping is what you’re looking for, you may want to give South Korea a visit in the coming months. Mealworms, larvae of mealworm beetles and normally produced as pet food, will be available in South Korean food products as early as next month–and on tops of pizzas.
According to the Wall Street Journal, this is a part of a government effort to help grow the domestic insect industry (because, in case didn’t you hear, everyone has a domestic insect industry). This includes cultivating insects for pest control, pollinating and, of course, eating.
Mealworms in particular, however, have high protein content along with natural minerals and healthy unsaturated fats. They also apparently taste good in foods other than pizza.
“We already had a public tasting of pizzas, pasta, porridge and a juice made or added with mealworms last month. And to my surprise, responses were pretty good. Many people liked them,” said Yun Eun-young, a researcher at the state-run academy.
So maybe it’s not a stretch of the imagination to see mealworms become a mainstream food product in South Korea, where beondegi (steamed or boiled silkworm pupae) and grasshoppers are regularly consumed as street food. We can also assume that mealworms are much more natural than the pink gold known as Spam, although that probably won’t stop anyone from buying it.
Edible insects are expected to become a significant protein source by 2050, when total meat production may need to be doubled to feed a growing human population. Insects are easier and cheaper to cultivate than livestock, with similar levels of calorie and protein. Shades of Snowpiercer, am I right?
Image via Wall Street Journal
