Should we eat bugs? - Emma Bryce

我们该吃虫子吗？ - 艾玛 布莱斯

翻译人员: Shi Tan 校对人员: Wenbo Li

[Why don't we eat bugs?]

For centuries, people have consumed bugs,

长时间以来

人类都在食用各种虫子

everything from beetles

从甲虫

to caterpillars, locusts,

到毛毛虫

蝗虫

grasshoppers, termites, and dragonflies.

蚱蜢

白蚁

再到蜻蜓

The practice even has a name:

这种用食习惯甚至还有个名字

entomophagy.

食虫性（ENTOMOPHAGY）

Early hunter-gatherers probably learned from animals

早期的狩猎采集者们大概

从动物那里学到了

that foraged for protein-rich insects and followed suit.

怎样寻找富含高蛋白的虫子

并且也模仿了起来。

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

随着人类的发展

吃虫子变成了我们的饮食习惯，

they fulfilled the role of both staple food and delicacy.

因为虫子

既是日常可见的东西

又很美味。

In ancient Greece, cicadas were considered luxury snacks.

在古希腊

蝉被认为是很奢侈的美味。

And even the Romans found beetle larvae to be scrumptious.

罗马人甚至发现甲虫幼虫

十分可口。

Why have we lost our taste for bugs?

而现在，我们为什么丧失了对虫子的喜爱？

The reason for our rejection is historical,

这是有历史原因的

and the story probably begins

大概要追溯到

around 10,000 BC in the Fertile Crescent,

公元前一万年的肥沃月弯地区，

a place in the Middle East

它位于今天的中东地区

that was a major birthplace of agriculture.

是农业的主要发源地。

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

在那时，我们游牧民族祖先曾经

在肥沃月弯地区定居下来

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

他们在那儿里，学会了怎样种植庄稼

和怎样驯化野兽，

attitudes changed,

于是人们换了一种生活方式

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

并向欧洲拓展

然后传到了整个西方世界

As farming took off,

当农业发展了起来

people might have spurned bugs as mere pests

人们意识到虫子只是

that destroyed their crops.

毁坏庄家的害虫

Populations grew, and the West became urbanized,

而当人口增加

西方开始城镇化发展以后，

weakening connections with our foraging past.

使得我们与我们的祖先的游牧文化的联系越来越淡

People simply forgot their bug-rich history.

人们忘记了食用虫子的历史

而现在，对于那些不习惯吃虫子的人

Today, for people not accustomed to entomophagy,

bugs are just an irritant.

虫子成了令人讨厌的东西。

They sting and bite and infest our food.

它们叮咬人类

并且祸害庄稼

We feel an "ick factor" associated with them

看到虫子我们觉得“恶心”

and are disgusted by the prospect of cooking insects.

并且讨厌

它们所烹调成的美味。

Almost 2,000 insect species are turned into food,

大约已经有2000种昆虫被转化成了食物，

forming a big part of everyday diets

对于世界上的二十亿人类来说

for two billion people around the world.

这构成了他们日常饮食的很大一部分。

Countries in the tropics are the keenest consumers,

热带国家的人们是最积极虫子的食用者

because culturally, it's acceptable.

因为对于他们的文化来说是可接受的。

Species in those regions are also large, diverse,

那些地区的虫子个头很大，

多种多样

并且喜欢聚成一大群

and tend to congregate in groups or swarms

that make them easy to harvest.

使得他们更容易被捕获。

就拿东南亚的柬埔寨来说

Take Cambodia in Southeast Asia

where huge tarantulas are gathered,

大量狼蛛聚集

fried, and sold in the marketplace.

在市场上

炸来贩卖

In southern Africa,

在非洲南部

the juicy mopane worm is a dietary staple,

多汁的蝴蝶树虫是常见的可口食物，

simmered in a spicy sauce

用一种辣口的调料来炖

or eaten dried and salted.

或者盐腌了吃。

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

在墨西哥，剁碎的Jumiles（臭虫）

用大蒜，柠檬和盐来烤着吃。

Bugs can be eaten whole to make up a meal

虫子能够被整个食用

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

或者被研磨成细粉粗粉或者糊状

来加在食物里。

But it's not all about taste.

虫子不只是好吃

而且还营养

They're also healthy.

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

事实上，科学家认为食虫性

对那些食物没有保障的发展中国家来说

for developing countries that are food insecure.

能够变成一个省钱的有效途径。

Insects can contain up to 80% protein,

因为虫子含有80%的蛋白质

the body's vital building blocks,

蛋白质是身体的头等重要物质，

and are also high in energy-rich fat,

虫子还富含高能量脂肪

fiber, and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals.

纤维

和微量元素例如维他命和矿物质

Did you know that most edible insects contain the same amount

你知道吗？大部分可使用的虫子

身体内含有和牛肉相同

or even more mineral iron than beef,

甚至更高的铁元素

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

使得虫子成为了储量巨大，未经开发的资源

尤其是缺铁

is currently the most common nutritional problem in the world?

是现在世界上最常见的

营养难题。

The mealworm is another nutritious example.

另一个有营养的例子是黄粉虫，

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

这个黄色的甲虫幼虫源自于美国

且容易饲养。

They have a high vitamin content,

它含有很高的维他命成分

loads of healthy minerals,

大量矿物质，

and can contain up to 50% protein,

还包含了高达50%的蛋白质，

almost as much as in an equivalent amount of beef.

和基本和牛肉里蛋白质的含量是等量的。

To cook, simply sauté in butter and salt

就烹饪方法来说，简单地用黄油和盐来炒

or roast and drizzle with chocolate for a crunchy snack.

或者烤了沾点巧克力

就可以做成很酥软的点心

What you have to overcome in "ick factor,"

这样看来，你为什么还要感到“恶心”呢

你不但补充营养

you gain in nutrition and taste.

还享受到了美味。

Indeed, bugs can be delicious.

虫子的确是种舌尖上的美味。

Mealworms taste like roasted nuts.

黄粉虫味道像坚果。

Locusts are similar to shrimp.

蝗虫像虾。

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

对于蟋蟀，有些人认为

它有爆米花的芳香。

Farming insects for food also has less environmental impact

大量饲养可食用的虫子

比牲畜

than livestock farms do

对环境的影响要小得多

because insects emit far less greenhouse gas

因为虫子释放更少的温室气体

and use up less space, water, and food.

使用更少的空间，水，还有食物

Socioeconomically, bug production

对于社会经济来说，虫子的生产

could uplift people in developing countries

能提高发展中国家人们的生活质量

since insect farms can be small scale,

因为虫子养殖是小规模

highly productive, and yet relatively inexpensive to keep.

高产量，

且相对来说管理费用低廉。

Insects can also be turned into more sustainable food for livestock

虫子能够成为

对牲畜来说更环保的食物

and can be reared on organic waste,

而且能够用有机废物饲养

like vegetable peelings,

像是蔬菜的皮

that might otherwise just end up rotting in landfills.

不然蔬菜皮只能烂在地里。

Feeling hungry yet?

感觉到饿了吗？

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

面对一盘炸蟋蟀的时候

然而现在还是大部分人会退缩

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

一想到那些虫子的腿和触角

会卡在他们的牙齿里。

But think of a lobster.

但是你想想龙虾。

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

它其实就像个大虫子

也有腿和触角

that was once regarded as an inferior, repulsive food.

它也曾经被认为

是不好的，令人生厌的食物。

Now, lobster is a delicacy.

而现在，龙虾是一道大餐。

Can the same paradigm shift happen for bugs?

这个故事也适用于虫子吗？

So, give it a try!

所以，试试吧！

Pop that insect into your mouth,

把虫子扔进嘴里，

and savor the crunch.

享受虫子的酥脆吧！^_^