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Interesting value added product article

2K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  Tom G. Laury 
#1 ·
It's amazing what you can find on the web if you look hard enough or you are board enough at work.

Found this publication on Value added products from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. 1996.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/w0076E/w0076E00.htm

It has a bunch of recipes with photos of the dishes obviously prepared by chefs. Perhaps I BETTER NOT take some of these dishes to our December state bee meeting.


8.10.10 Popmoth

Heat some cooking oil and drop fresh (live) or frozen wax moth larvae into the hot oil. Their skin will break and the proteins will expand, making them look like popcorn. Remove them before they become too dark, let the oil drip off them and salt or flavour them with other spice mixtures similar to popcorn, potato or banana chips. They might also taste good with honey, or quickly turned in the candy mix described below.

This product should be packaged attractively in clear plastic bags for sale in markets or stores. Once fried like this, it may be stored for some time without spoiling.


8.10.11 Bee sweets and chocolate coated bees

The following recipes can be easily adapted to accommodate various, similar ingredients and provide honey-based sweets, with or without bee and insect larvae. They are easily made in any pastry shop or home kitchen and preserve well for sale in markets and shops. Powdered pollen pellets can also be added. Neatly packaged, they provide an attractive and very nutritious snack.

Candybees

¼ cup Butter
2/3 cup Brown sugar
¾ cup Dark honey
1 cup Cleaned bees (adults or larvae) or other insects

Mix the butter, sugar and honey. Beat until smooth, then stir in the insects. Place in a baking dish in the oven at 1900C for approximately 30 minutes. After cooling, break or cut into pieces. (See also candy recipes in Chapter 2.)

The butter can be replaced with another cooking oil; for an agreeable flavour try coconut, peanut or sunflower oil. Dark sugar gives a nicely coloured end product and is a little healthier than white sugar, but the latter can be used instead. With a little practice, the candy can also be made in a covered frying-pan over a low fire. Be careftil not to burn the sugar.

Garlic butter fried bees

¼ cup Butter or cooking oil
6 cloves Garlic
1 cup Cleaned bees (larvae)

Heat the oil or butter over low heat in a frying-pan or pot. Slowly fry the garlic so that in about 5 minutes it is slightly brown. Add the insects and continue frying at the same temperature for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not overheat or the garlic will burn.
 
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#3 ·
Fresh drone larvae and even early pupae are very tasty. They leave just a hint of chestnut in your mouth. We had several people at the Pa. state picnic this year eating larvae for the first time. Every person who tried them said that they tasted good. Have not tried them cook or fried, but I bet they are tasty!

What a great article. Thank you.
 
#7 ·
Bee food

A few years ago my Hispanic help was extracting and asked if I had ever eaten larva, which is apparently common where they come from. There they were, big drone larva from burr comb in the film of clear citrus honey on the shiny metal of the drip pan. They were good! Like cream, and with the honey, mmmm. Not kidding at all. Didn't get me on SURVIVOR though.
 
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