Buzzing: On adversity
Hello friends, how are you? I have a favour to ask you: I need to grow my subscriber numbers in order to unlock an interesting work opportunity. I would therefore be immensely grateful if you could introduce Buzzing to a friend and spread the word.
As ever, if you have any suggestions to make Buzzing better or more relevant, please get in touch.
And finally, the next issue of Buzzing will be delivered in three weeks rather than the usual two. I promise it will be worth the wait: it will come straight from the Bug Buffet at Montana State University, where I plan to eat my own weight in tasty bugs. 😋
Today in Buzzing:
It’s not easy being an entopreneur
In Other News: Tastings and big numbers
Test Corner: Fusion Japanese Rosti with spicy crickets
I recently saw a post on LinkedIn by Protera Industries, a Malian insect farm, celebrating its achievements: “Successfully invested €2 million in a vital food sector for the Malian/African economy in the midst of total instability i.e. 2 coup d'états, 2 embargos (1 ongoing) and global covid crisis. This has boosted the local agricultural sector, captured value added of transformation, created jobs, boosted the national food self-sufficiency and will greatly impact the environment with the use of insects protein.”
Starting a new business is always hard, but to do so against such odds is a feat of perseverance. It made me reflect about the adversity the sector faces, from the seemingly immovable yuck factor to hindering regulation and the sector’s lack of visibility.
Someone recently asked me whether I saw an industry in the insect protein sector. I was slightly taken aback by the question because the answer seemed so obvious to me: a resounding yes. But the fact that someone (knowledgeable and of sound business mind) still had to ask is testament to the fact that there is still a lot of convincing to do.
The excellent blog Bug Burger keeps an extensive list of insect food companies and products. Although it is not an exhaustive list, it has grown significantly since it was started in 2015 and Anders Engström, the author, told me it was getting harder to keep it up-to-date given the profusion of new players on the market. That in itself is a good sign the industry is growing.
Interestingly however, Anders also keeps a list of companies that no longer exist. There are literally dozens. I don’t know why all these companies stopped trading: perhaps they were ahead of their time; maybe the regulation didn’t follow quick enough, or their products weren’t up to scratch. Perhaps they just didn’t have a robust enough business plan. Whatever the reason, it reinforces the fact that making it is not a given, especially in a new industry.
It is incumbent on the industry to carve itself a space in the global economy, and I salute the work of all the umbrella organisations who do that. There is still much work to do but for now, hats off to all the entopreneurs who have made it.
In Other News
Graphic story
On 27 January, French mealworm company Ÿnsect organised a blind prawn tasting to find out what impact insect-based feed would have on the taste of prawns. Chef Emilien Rouable prepared three dishes to taste the prawns raw, cooked and overcooked. The results? Mealworm-fed prawns have a slightly more intense flavour, that also stays longer in the mouth. Antoine Hubert, Ÿnsect’s CEO said that such tastings were important for them to raise awareness of insect ingredients with fish farms and feed manufacturers but also with consumers.
Sector News
💲💲 Protix raises €50 million to fund its international expansion.
📈 The number of people employed by the insect industry in North America has gone up five-fold since 2018. Nice overview in Food Dive.
😋 Calling all Australia-based Buzzing subscribers: the University of Adelaide needs you for a bug taste test! (The Advertiser)
♻ The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) has launched a three-year €7.5 million programme in West Africa to turn organic waste into protein for animal feed (Ghana News Agency).
Test Corner: Fusion Japanese rosti with spicy crickets
Today’s creation is the story of three unloved parsnips and a sweet potato being turned into the most delicious fusion dinner, by way of Instagram. The parsnips came in the veg box a couple of weeks back: they’re not our favourite vegetable at home and whilst they have their place in winter soups and fancy roasts, I always struggle with ideas of what else to do with them.
A few days ago, Brooklyn Bugs director Joseph Yoon posted a video of a brunch he’d prepared: crispy mash with a fried egg, spring onion and crickets, which made me hanker for hashbrowns. Then, a couple of days later, Yum Bug posted a recipe of an Okonomiyaki (a type of Japanese pancake) with sriracha crickets, which looked amazing. This reminded me of a recipe I often make: potato and sweet potato rostis, which I serve with a very zingy dressing of olive oil, lime and fresh chilli.
I thought my unloved roots would work brilliantly in some kind of rosti-meets-Okonomiyaki combo. I must say that this is one of my proudest creations: everything worked together in terms of flavours and texture. The crickets were the ideal topping: a crunchy, spicy, umami note to balance the sweetness of the parsnip and sweet potato.
Fusion Japanese Rosti with Spicy Crickets
Makes two large rostis
For the rosti
3 small (shrivelling) parsnips
1 sweet potato
1 small chunk of red cabbage
1 small onion
100g breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
Killer spicy mayo
2tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp ketchup
1.5 tsp of chilli oil (to taste - I use one that contains chili flakes)
Toppings
2 spring onions (green tops only)
3 tbsp of sriracha crickets (I use Bugvita’s but alternatively you could make your own by flash-frying them in a pan with chilli powder; plain roast crickets would be fine too)
Sesame seeds
Grate all the vegetables (I chucked them in the food processor); whisk in the eggs, breadcrumbs and sauces. Heat a small frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil. Pour in half the rosti mixture and pat down. Pop the lid on and cook for 5 min or so until the bottom is gold and crispy; flip using a plate and cook another few minutes until the other side is done.
To make the mayo, mix all the ingredients. Drizzle over the top of the rosti, sprinkle with all the toppings. Ta dah!
