by Eric Lendrum
A bizarre assertion made by scientists in South Korea suggests that if the global population starts eating burgers and other food made out of earthworms, then world hunger would be greatly reduced.
The New York Post reports that Dr. Hee Cho of Wonkwang University led a research project which concluded that mixing cooked mealworms, or beetle larvae, with sugar can produce a substance that resembles and allegedly tastes like meat.
“Recently, eating insects has become of interest because of the increasing cost of animal protein, as well as the associated environmental issues,” Cho said in a press release after the project’s conclusion. “Insects are a nutritious and healthy food source with high amounts of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber and high-quality protein — which is like that of meat.”
“Mealworm contains beneficial essential amino acids and is high in unsaturated fatty acids,” Cho claimed.
Global warming activists have repeatedly been making the dubious claim that the cost of producing meat from animals is too high, and causes damage to the environment; one commonly-given example is beef made from cows, which produce methane emissions that allegedly harm the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
But most countries, despite pressure from the far-left and some international organizations, refuse to abandon the long-treasured tradition of eating meat, and insects are generally not considered a viable food in the majority of countries around the world. As such, Cho said that he is prepared to combat this stigma by proving that worms can be cooked and seasoned to taste like anything else.
Cho’s group claimed that the worms contained “volatile hydrocarbons” which were capable of producing a variety of strong scents after evaporation, and that initial smells resembling wet soil, shrimp, and sweet corn could be changed based on the method of cooking, including steaming them, roasting them, or deep-frying them.
“As a result of this study, 10 of the reaction flavors were optimized based on consumer preferences,” said co-author Hyeyoung Park, a graduate student, during his presentation of the findings at the American Chemical Society in Chicago.
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Eric Lendrum reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Burger” by Valeria Boltneva.
