Insects? Bush Tucker. Yum!

[Digby]

Is there a method for discovering which insects are edible by humans? :eek: Is there a method that works equally well in every continent?

[Jake D]

Feed a handfull to one of your companions. If he/she dies, then they are probably poisonous. You may need to do this with a number of people to be completely certain, so it works best if you have a fairly large expedition team.

[Superslogger]

so it works best if you have a fairly large expedition team.
I have just crossed you off my list of people to go on an expedition with.

[Marmot]

Im feeling dubious about going with you too

The way ive been taught to test whether flora are edible is very long and complicated, and is in practise quite ridiculous, i guesss ony applicable if you new you were stuck somewhere for the long term, and had some readily available safe food to hand.

What you do is cut open the berry and rub some of the juice onto your skin. Wait several hours to see if a reaction occurs, reddening, a rash, etc. if this does, then obviously this is not an edible berry.
if it passes this rest, rub some of the juice on your lips, again wait to see the reaction, the mouth being a more sensitive part of the body.
Then again chew some of the berrys, but spit out main body of the fruit, again wait to see what happens.
if it passes this, and tastes nice it is assumed it will be ok to eat.

For animals/insects, brightly colours are a good indicator to a nasty/ fatal after taste

[Jake D]

Apparently, green ants are quite yummy...

[Marmot]

so are green eggs and ham

[David]

What Marmot describes is 'the universal edibility test' - very correct but do note this only applies to the exact part of the plant or creature tested, root or leaf for example, and only in the exact way that it was prepared / cooked. In theory you should wait 7 hours after each stage of the test to wait for a reaction. Also, the test does not apply for fungi, as fly agaric (sic) for example can kill with just a trace.

(come to think about it so can yew seeds and a lot of other stuff! - better to use this tecnique only when desperate)

[Digby]

Sensible advice from David. I'd certainly be more confident with David and Marmot than I would with Jake!

[digbum]

Im pretty sure that in the uk all insects are safe to eat if prepared correctly. Its the bacteria that live on the insects that are potentially dangerous - think id avoid chowing down on bluebottle fritters or cockroach pie without first sterilising with some kind of nuclear powered oven ;)

[Ollie]

think id avoid chowing down on bluebottle fritters or cockroach pie without first sterilising with some kind of nuclear powered oven ;)

... and you happen to carry one of these in your backpack? :D

[carbon]

to be fair marmot is quite correct with his universal test but may i add you MUST wait 5 HOURS at least without eating ANYTHING else,then if you feel no discomfort then it may be considered edible.feel by taste..vitamin c is ascorbic acid so foods containing it may taste bitter,but be cautious of sour or rancid tastes tho,if anything smells of bitter almonds or peaches (unless it's a peach lol) bin it!

[Bigjimlakeakaray]

Garden snails and worms can be eaten. Detox them on lettuce and water for five days and then tuck in.

[Ollie]

While they're still alive? =\

[David]

fried, I'd guess? like french snails?

[MariaD]

I've had snails cooked French style (yum) and Catalan style (yuk). They don't seem to taste of anything, so the main flavour comes from the sauce.

[Ollie]

Not sure I could voluntarily eat worms though. Think I'd have to be in a pretty desperate situation.. or very drunk...

[Marmot]

Getting drunk would infact be a very easy way to get hold of a worm infact - if youre drinking the right spirit!

[David]

Did some 'worm charming' at a fete on Saturday. Actually seemed to work. Not sure if anyone wanted to hear that...

[Ollie]

At a Fete? What sort of Fetes do you go to!?

[David]

yeess, it was all very local. Think 'The Wicker Man'. Crossed with the Chuckle Brothers.

mabey

hmm. To divert back to somewhere close to the topic, if you are starving, wetting and bashing the ground with sticks does make worms come out. I know from experience!

[MariaD]

I'll have to try it one day!