A novel dining experience is popping up in the London restaurant scene with insects featuring as the main ingredients on the menu. The proprietors assert that serving bugs, complemented by tasty spices, would be beneficial to both individuals and the environment.
The pioneer insect-based restaurant in the world exclusively offers gastronomic delights made from varying bugs.
Many people find it surprising that insects taste like meat, however, they indeed are meat. We do not need to whip up a lot of magic to give them a meaty flavor,” says Leo Taylor, the co-founder of Yum Bug Restaurant, situated in the UK’s capital city.
Consuming insects is not something unheard of. Primarily in regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America, insects are regarded as a culinary specialty.
The Yum Bug Restaurant in London presents a mouth-watering selection of dishes made from crickets that trace their origins to multiple international cuisines.
“What is vital for us is to showcase this as an adaptable ingredient that can be incorporated into a variety of dishes. We offer Mexican food, tacos, burrata, Italian dishes, pasta, and we just introduced a new cricket lasagna on the menu today, inclusive of Middle Eastern dishes,” Taylor affirms.
In addition to being a rich source of protein, insects also have a reduced impact on climate change.
“Among the earth’s most sustainable protein sources are insects. The carbon emissions from our crickets are 15 times less than that of beef on a per kilogram of protein basis. Besides, they are highly nutritious. Whole crickets have higher levels of iron compared to spinach, more calcium than milk, more potassium than bananas, more B12 than red meat—the list is endless. They are a remarkable superfood. This superfood is an outcome of a completely circular system that feeds on waste, ultimately resulting in a flavorful sustainable dish,” Taylor elaborates.
Customers are highly intrigued by meals prepared with crickets. Miguel Galindo reveals that he and his partner sampled almost all items on the menu.
“We tasted the burrata, the pulled cricket tacos, broccoli, salad. They were all exceptionally good. Particularly the kebab—it was filling and tasted great,” he asserts.
Customer Bianca Bridges mentions that she and her friend Zena Kamgaing are fond of the dishes.
“We are here, simply popping crickets into our mouth like snacks. They are absolutely delightful,” she comments.
The Global Market Insights research and consulting group projects a growth rate of almost 50% in the edible insect industry between 2023 and 2032. Insects are being seriously considered as a climate-friendly food production option because their farming requires lesser space, causes less deforestation, and leads to lesser emissions compared to livestock farming.
Insects are swarming the menu at a new restaurant in London. Owners say plating up bugs with scrumptious seasonings will help people and the planet.
At the world’s first bug-based restaurant, if it’s not creepy and crawly, you won’t find it on the menu.
“People are often quite surprised at how meaty insects are, but they are meat. We’re not having to do much wizardry to keep it very meaty,” says Leo Taylor, Co-founder of Yum Bug Restaurant in the British capital.
Eating bugs is nothing new. In many parts of the world, especially in Africa, Asia and Latin America, insects are seen as a delicacy.
Yum Bug Restaurant in London serves up courses of crickets that highlight international cuisines.
“What’s really important to us is we showcase this as an ingredient that’s versatile, that you can cook into all sorts of dishes. We’ve got Mexican dishes, we’ve got tacos, we’ve got burrata, Italian stuff, we’ve got pasta, we’ve just got a new cricket lasagna on the menu today, we’ve got Middle Eastern,” says Taylor.
The bugs are packed full of protein, and there’s a perk for the climate too.
“Insects are one of the most sustainable proteins on Earth. Our crickets produce 15 times less carbon compared to beef per kilogram of protein. But they also are packed full of nutrition. And whole crickets have got more iron than spinach, more calcium than milk, more potassium than bananas, more B12 than red meat, the list keeps going, so they’re an incredible superfood. And if you can capture all of that from what’s otherwise from feed, that’s otherwise going to waste, and you can get this fully circular system and a delicious sustainable superfood at the end of it,” Taylor explains.
The cricket creations are causing quite the buzz with customers. Miguel Galindo says he and his partner tried almost the whole menu.
“We tried the burrata, we tried the pulled pork tacos… no, the pulled cricket tacos, the broccoli, the salad as well. And it was really nice. Particularly the kebab one. It was quite tasty. It was quite filling. It was really nice,” he says.
Customer Bianca Bridges says she and her friend Zena Kamgaing can’t get enough.
“We’re sat here just literally popping crickets in our mouth like little snacks. They’re great, amazing.”
The edible insect industry is expected to grow by almost 50 percent between 2023 and 2032, according to the Global Market Insights research and consulting group. Insects are widely seen as an option for climate-friendly food production, as farming insects takes less space, causes less deforestation and emissions compared to livestock.