Laos Holds Finger-Lickin’ Taste Of Our Future
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has cooked up a possible solution to the global food crisis by encouraging people to eat more insects.
Flicking through their report will bring few surprises for Laotians who, along with people elsewhere in Asia, have been eating insects for as long as anyone can remember – either as snacks or as full-blown meals. But the FAO has also confirmed that bugs are highly nutritious, rich in protein, vitamins, fibre and minerals.
Among the healthier snacks consumed in Laos are a wide variety of grubs and bugs, usually fried in oil. The average Laotian knows exactly what can be eaten and what cannot, and at what time of year what particular insect Mother Nature will serve up in abundance – and on what sort of plant it likes to feed.
At this time of the year some of the most popular additions to the menu include ……