Page 33 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

CATERPILLARS AND PEOPLE

CATERPILLARS AS FOOD

Across the world humans have consumed caterpillars for thousands of
years. Today an estimated two billion people eat insects, including
caterpillars, as part of their daily diet. These range from the witchetty
grubs, usually the larvae of the cossid moth (Endoxyla leucomochla), eaten

by indigenous Australian people, to the crispy, dried cuchamás (green
caterpillars) of Mexico, where at least 67 Lepidoptera species are consumed.
In Asia, the Bamboo Borer (Omphisa fuscidentalis) is such a popular
deep-fried dish that the larvae are now bred commercially by caterpillar
farmers, which helps protect the population in the wild. In southern Africa,

close to 40 species of caterpillars are harvested for food. Those regularly
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consumed include the Mopane Worm (Gonimbrasia belina), an important 31
source of protein for many people. The protein content of Lepidoptera
larvae varies between 14 and 68 percent, which is comparable and often

exceeds that of raw beef (19 to 26 percent) or raw fish (16 to 28 percent);
the Mopane Worm is particularly protein rich.
Because caterpillars are so nutritious, supplying healthy fats, protein,
vitamins, minerals, and fiber, the United Nations is actively promoting
edible insects as a way of combating world hunger. Cultivating caterpillars
for consumption is also more environmentally friendly than raising

animals for food, because the larvae are about three times more efficient at
converting feed into edible product. Caterpillars emit fewer greenhouse
gases and less ammonia than cattle or pigs, and farming them requires
significantly less land and water. Caterpillar gathering and rearing, whether

at household level or on an industrial scale, also offers important livelihood
opportunities for people in both developing and developed countries.

LEFT Deep-fried
bamboo larvae are a
popular and nutritious
snack in Thailand
and other parts of
eastern Asia. The
larvae of the Bamboo
Borer (Omphisa
fuscidentalis) are
collected en masse
as they diapause on
bamboo, and are also
increasingly farmed.