Should we eat bugs? - Emma Bryce

Translator: Anja Praprotnik Reviewer: Matej Divjak

[Why don't we eat bugs?]

[Zakaj ne jemo žuželk?]

For centuries, people have consumed bugs,

Ljudje so stoletja uživali žuželke,

everything from beetles

od hroščev,

to caterpillars, locusts,

do gosenic, kobilic,

grasshoppers, termites, and dragonflies.

termitov in kačjih pastirjev.

The practice even has a name:

Navada ima celo ime:

entomophagy.

entomofagija.

Early hunter-gatherers probably learned from animals

Zgodnji lovci nabiralci so se verjetno učili od živali,

that foraged for protein-rich insects and followed suit.

ki so nabirale žužke, bogate z beljakovinami in jih posnemali.

As we evolved and bugs became part of our dietary tradition,

Ko so z evolucijo žužki postali del naše prehrambne tradicije,

they fulfilled the role of both staple food and delicacy.

so služili hkrati za osnovno živilo in poslastico.

In ancient Greece, cicadas were considered luxury snacks.

V stari Grčiji so škržati veljali za luksuzen prigrizek.

And even the Romans found beetle larvae to be scrumptious.

Celo pri Rimljanih so ličinke hroščev veljale za slastne.

Why have we lost our taste for bugs?

Zakaj nam žuželke niso več všeč?

The reason for our rejection is historical,

Razlog za naš odpor gre iskati v zgodovini

and the story probably begins

in zgodba se najbrž začne

around 10,000 BC in the Fertile Crescent,

okrog 10.000 let pr. Kr. v Rodovitnem polmesecu,

a place in the Middle East

del Bližnjega vzhoda,

that was a major birthplace of agriculture.

ki je bil pomembna zibelka kmetijstva.

Back then, our once-nomadic ancestors began to settle in the Crescent.

Takrat so se naši nomadski predniki začeli naseljevati v polmesecu

And as they learned to farm crops and domesticate animals there,

in ko so se učili gojiti poljščine in udomačevati živali,

attitudes changed,

so se stališča spremenila

rippling outwards towards Europe and the rest of the Western world.

ter razširila po Evropi in ostalem Zahodnem svetu.

As farming took off,

S porastom kmetovanja

people might have spurned bugs as mere pests

so ljudje morda začeli prezirati žuželke kot škodljivce,

that destroyed their crops.

ki so uničevali njihov pridelek.

Populations grew, and the West became urbanized,

Število prebivalstva je naraslo in Zahod se je urbaniziral.

weakening connections with our foraging past.

To je oslabilo vezi z našo nabiralniško preteklostjo.

People simply forgot their bug-rich history.

Ljudje so pozabili na zgodovino uživanja žuželk.

Danes so za ljudi, ki niso vajeni entomofagije,

Today, for people not accustomed to entomophagy,

bugs are just an irritant.

žuželke zgolj nadloga.

They sting and bite and infest our food.

Pikajo, grizejo in uničujejo našo hrano.

We feel an "ick factor" associated with them

Do njih imamo odpor

and are disgusted by the prospect of cooking insects.

in misel na kuhanje žuželk se nam gnusi.

Almost 2,000 insect species are turned into food,

Skoraj 2000 vrst žuželk je predelanih v hrano,

forming a big part of everyday diets

ki igra pomembno vlogo na jedilniku

for two billion people around the world.

dveh milijard ljudi po svetu.

Countries in the tropics are the keenest consumers,

Najbolj zagreti porabniki so tropske države,

because culturally, it's acceptable.

kjer je to družbeno sprejemljivo.

Species in those regions are also large, diverse,

Vrste v teh območjih so velike, raznolike

and tend to congregate in groups or swarms

in se navadno zbirajo v skupinah ali rojih,

that make them easy to harvest.

zaradi česar jih je lažje loviti.

Take Cambodia in Southeast Asia

Vzemimo Kambodžo v Jugovzhodni Aziji,

where huge tarantulas are gathered,

kjer nabirajo ogromne tarantele,

fried, and sold in the marketplace.

jih ocvrejo in nato prodajo na tržnici.

In southern Africa,

V južni Afriki

the juicy mopane worm is a dietary staple,

je sočni Mopane črv vsakdanje živilo.

simmered in a spicy sauce

Skuhajo ga v začinjeni omaki

or eaten dried and salted.

ali pa ga posušijo in nasolijo.

And in Mexico, chopped jumiles are toasted with garlic, lemon, and salt.

V Mehiki sesekljane hrošče jumiles popečejo s česnom, limono in soljo.

Bugs can be eaten whole to make up a meal

Žužke je moč jesti kar tako,

or ground into flour, powder, and paste to add to food.

ali jih zmleti v moko, prah ali pasto, ki jih uporabimo kot dodatek hrani.

But it's not all about taste.

Vendar okusnost ni vse -

They're also healthy.

- mrčes je tudi zdrav.

In fact, scientists say entomophagy could be a cost-effective solution

Znanost pravi, da bi bila entomofagija lahko ekonomična rešitev

for developing countries that are food insecure.

za države v razvoju, ki trpijo za prehransko negotovostjo.

Insects can contain up to 80% protein,

Žuželke lahko vsebujejo do 80 % beljakovin,

the body's vital building blocks,

ki so ključni gradniki telesa,

and are also high in energy-rich fat,

obilo maščob, ki so bogate z energijo,

fiber, and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals.

vlaknine in mikrohranila, kot so vitamini in minerali.

Did you know that most edible insects contain the same amount

Ste vedeli, da večina užitnih insektov vsebuje enako količino

or even more mineral iron than beef,

mineralnega železa kakor govedina, ali celo več?

making them a huge, untapped resource when you consider that iron deficiency

Glede na to, da je pomanjkanje železa najpogostejša prehrambna težava na svetu,

is currently the most common nutritional problem in the world?

so žuželke ogromna neizkoriščena dobrina.

The mealworm is another nutritious example.

Mokar je še en hranljiv primer.

The yellow beetle larvae are native to America and easy to farm.

Rumene hroščeve ličinke izvirajo iz Amerike in jih je lahko pridelovati.

They have a high vitamin content,

Imajo veliko vitaminov,

loads of healthy minerals,

ogromno zdravih mineralov

and can contain up to 50% protein,

in lahko vsebujejo do 50 % beljakovin,

almost as much as in an equivalent amount of beef.

skoraj toliko, kot enaka količina govedine.

To cook, simply sauté in butter and salt

Pripravimo jih tako, da soljene popražimo na maslu,

or roast and drizzle with chocolate for a crunchy snack.

ali spečemo in pokapamo s čokolado za hrustljav prigrizek.

What you have to overcome in "ick factor,"

Potrebno se je seveda spopasti z odporom,

you gain in nutrition and taste.

a nagrada je hranljiv in okusen obrok.

Indeed, bugs can be delicious.

Žužki so res lahko slastni.

Mealworms taste like roasted nuts.

Mokarji imajo okus po praženih oreških.

Locusts are similar to shrimp.

Kobilice spominjajo na morske rakce.

Crickets, some people say, have an aroma of popcorn.

Črički marsikomu dišijo po pokovki.

Farming insects for food also has less environmental impact

Gojenje insektov za hrano ima mnogo manjši negativni vpliv na okolje

than livestock farms do

kakor živinoreja,

because insects emit far less greenhouse gas

saj žuželke proizvajajo mnogo manj toplogrednih plinov

and use up less space, water, and food.

in porabijo manj prostora, vode in hrane.

Socioeconomically, bug production

Družbenogospodarsko gledano bi gojenje žuželk

could uplift people in developing countries

lahko pomagalo ljudem iz držav v razvoju,

since insect farms can be small scale,

saj so farme žuželk lahko majhne

highly productive, and yet relatively inexpensive to keep.

in visoko produktivne, njihovo vzdrževanje pa je poceni.

Insects can also be turned into more sustainable food for livestock

Žuželke se lahko predela tudi v bolj trajnostno krmo za živino,

and can be reared on organic waste,

redi pa se jih lahko z organskimi odpadki,

like vegetable peelings,

kot so zelenjavni olupki,

that might otherwise just end up rotting in landfills.

ki bi sicer zgnili na odlagališčih.

Feeling hungry yet?

Ste že kaj lačni?

Faced with a plate of fried crickets, most people today would still recoil,

Če bi prednje postavili krožnik ocvrtih čričkov, bi večina odskočila

imagining all those legs and feelers getting stuck between their teeth.

ob misli na vse tiste nožice in tipalke, ki bi se zataknile med zobmi.

But think of a lobster.

Kaj pa jastog?

It's pretty much just a giant insect with legs and feelers galore

Pravzaprav gre zgolj za ogromnega žužka z obilico nog in tipalk,

that was once regarded as an inferior, repulsive food.

ki je včasih veljal za manjvredno, odvratno hrano.

Now, lobster is a delicacy.

Danes je jastog poslastica.

Can the same paradigm shift happen for bugs?

Lahko do take spremembe paradigme pride tudi pri žuželkah?

So, give it a try!

Poskusite, torej!

Pop that insect into your mouth,

Pogumno sezite po tistem žužku

and savor the crunch.

in ga pohrustajte.