Is it possible to eat cockroaches, fried edible cockroaches, in which countries they eat them, how to cook them at home

Cockroaches as food

Man needs protein to live.
And if he cannot get enough of it from the meat of animals or birds, then everything that can be eaten is used, the main thing is calorie content. Plant foods, with all their diversity, are still not as satiating as animal proteins - which are also found in insects. Man has known their taste since ancient times. The Bible says that John the Baptist in the desert ate locusts, a type of locust. The cockroach, if you think about it, didn’t get far from her. For ancient peoples, it was not only food, but also medicine: written instructions have been preserved telling how to make a tincture from these insects for various diseases. And nowadays, in some countries they eat cockroaches just like we eat meat or other products.

The reasons for such a unique addition to the diet can be varied. Most often, people, like the biblical righteous, do not eat these insects out of a good life. Dishes made from cockroaches are prepared in those parts of our planet where there is a real problem with protein food (and often with food in the broad sense of the word). For example, in China (its desert regions) or in Thailand, where natural resources are not as generous as in other places. Vietnam is also famous for its cockroach delights.

Although one cannot deny the importance of the culinary traditions of various peoples. This is especially true in Southeast Asia and the countries of the East. On the streets of Thailand, for example, you can see a huge number of cats and dogs, which certainly have more protein than an insect - but the Thais do not eat their meat. But there you can buy a wide variety of dishes made from cockroaches: simply fried ones, which they eat like we eat seeds, and such a delicacy as cockroaches in chocolate. But Koreans who eat various dog meat dishes cannot be persuaded to try insects.

The Japanese do not eat insects or cats and dogs; their culinary culture does not even know dairy products. But there is nothing in the sea that they won’t eat. The Chinese take a philosophical look at this side of life, and claim that it is not what you eat that is important, but how it is prepared. And cockroaches too.

By the way, according to international food standards, chocolate contains a small amount of cockroach particles, because these insects live on trees, their chitin gets on cocoa beans and cannot be completely eliminated.

In our country it is prohibited to prepare and sell insect dishes in catering establishments and markets. But no one can forbid you to cook them at home. But before you embark on the unknown, you need to know not only the recipe, but also the fact that not all cockroaches are edible.

Cockroaches in cooking

In our country, only expensive restaurants can boast of signature dishes containing whiskered insects. But in some countries such food is considered common and everyday.

Madagascar cockroach shashlik

Most often, tourists and guests of Thailand will be offered to try the national dish - fried cockroaches. This country is famous for the abundance of insects on the tables. They are prepared in different ways - fried, steamed, boiled, dried. Those who have tasted such exotic food claim that the insects taste like salty ham with a hint of fruit.

Cockroaches are also included in many dishes among the Chinese, Koreans, and Thais. The advantages of such nutrition are obvious - almost free ingredients, many substances useful for the human body, instant preparation.

Not all types of cockroaches are suitable for food. For some dishes, it is better to take those that do not have a chitinous shell (Turkmen Shelfordella tartara). Madagascan Gromphadorhina portentosa is best suited for roasting.

Cockroach delicacy

What happens if you swallow a cockroach

Swallowing an insect is not such an out of the ordinary event. A precedent can happen to anyone while running, laughing, roller skating, even while talking, a bug can fly into the mouth. The likelihood of eating a live cockroach, even if proper attention to sanitation and hygiene at home, is low.

In most cases, a swallowed insect is not a cause for much concern. It is hypothesized that the Prussian eaten is nothing more than an additional portion of protein. This may be true, but the fact that you had to eat a live parasite is unpleasant in itself. The domestic cockroach is neither clean nor picky in its eating. His habitat is far from the standard. Once in the human stomach, a live cockroach carrying many bacteria on its legs and body can cause the following diseases:

• diphtheria;
• tuberculosis;
• hepatitis;
• dysentery;
• salmonellosis and other troubles.

Important!

Serious consequences are possible for people who have eaten a live red deer and are allergic to certain proteins that make up the body of arthropods.

Can a cockroach survive in the stomach?

If you accidentally eat a cockroach, the first thing it does is enter the esophagus. A person will not feel the movement of the whiskers or paws of a living parasite, but will get the impression that a piece of an unchewed apple has been swallowed. Once in the stomach, the insect finds itself in an aggressive acidic environment that can easily dissolve the food it eats. A live cockroach, under the influence of gastric juice, should break down into proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. But Prussians have a durable chitinous shell, which will remain resistant to digestion for a long time.

The absence of tactile endings in the stomach will relieve a person from the sensation of the presence of a live insect in the stomach. There is a high probability that it will suffocate from lack of oxygen during the digestion process.

What to do if you accidentally swallow a cockroach

Once in the oral cavity, food is coated with saliva, which is an enzyme for digestion and a special “lubricant” for easy sliding down the esophagus. If the insect is not sufficiently treated with the substance, then it will not be possible to swallow a live cockroach. The body will instantly react to a foreign object with a gag reflex. The eaten Prussian will not have time to reach the stomach and will fly out of the mouth with other food.

What to do if you accidentally had to eat a live cockroach:

• rinse the stomach with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
• take disinfectant (absorbent) drugs.

It is necessary to respond in a timely manner to the appearance of parasites in the apartment. Modern insecticides, as well as other techniques, will quickly get rid of dangerous pests. Compliance with basic food storage rules will provide reliable protection for a person from an unpleasant incident.

What cockroaches can you eat?

There are more than 4 thousand species of cockroaches, and only a small fraction of them are parasitic forms and pests. This also applies to our home species. Most often, Madagascar cockroaches, one of the largest species, are used for this exotic (at least for us) food. They are also called hissing for the characteristic sounds they make.

Both scientists and chefs do not recommend eating our home-grown red Prussians, since they are not good for health. Not only does the Prussian eat literally everything, but he also crawls in the sewers, where pathogens are infested. If such an insect is swallowed alive, you can get a lot of troubles like E. coli and other diseases, and in addition, it will try to get out, which is also unpleasant. Therefore, if there is a child in the house at an age when babies put everything in their mouth, it is necessary to urgently get rid of domestic insects. If a cockroach accidentally falls into a pot or frying pan, then after heat treatment there will be no harm from it. And if you see it on your plate, it’s your own business - eat it or throw it away.

By the way, despite the name, the Prussians have nothing to do with Prussia; they were brought from South Asia - and that is why they are so sensitive to the cold. Few people eat them at all, and if your cat or dog caught such a cockroach and tasted it, it is only because they are obligate predators, that is, they experience a primitive desire to hunt. The domestic cat actually hunts mice for the sake of the process itself, and not for food.

But all sorts of exotic pets like lizards, scorpions or large spiders love to feast on cockroaches - but, again, not all of them. For these pets, live large barbel beetles are purchased as food in special pet stores.

The vast majority of other cockroaches are edible. But they must be properly processed before you start cooking.

Dessert “Unusual”

It's very easy to prepare. Melt the chocolate bar over low heat or a water bath. Place cockroaches on a toothpick and dip into hot chocolate mixture. The result is unusual candy with an exotic filling reminiscent of crunchy nuts.

Cockroaches in chocolate

We can conclude that cockroaches and cuisine are inseparable concepts. While people have been unsuccessfully fighting some varieties for many years, others are quite successfully bred to be used as food. Of course, such dishes, as they say, are not for everyone, but, according to numerous reviews, they are very tasty.

How to cook cockroaches

This type of insect has been living on our planet for a very long time - at least two hundred and fifty million years. Nature has rewarded them with a complex body structure that is able to adapt to almost any external environment . The eye consists of two thousand lenses, unlike the human eye, which has only one lens. It senses the world around it with the help of small hairs on its legs. With the help of their whiskers, they distinguish odors, and with the help of processes at the back - movement.

As a cockroach grows, it sheds its old shell several times throughout its life. In addition, this insect can live without air for about an hour.

The largest species of these insects live in Africa. They can reach fifteen centimeters in length.

Cockroaches can live without a head for about a week. This is due to the peculiarity of the structure of the brain - in them this organ is distributed throughout the body, so the death of a headless cockroach occurs from hunger and thirst or an accident.

Unlike other human “companions”, such as fleas, mosquitoes, mosquitoes and others, the cockroach does not have a strong association with any infectious disease. Despite this, modern man treats these insects with contempt, which is explained by the latter’s favorite habitats.

In total there are almost four thousand species of these insects. Indeed, those cockroaches that live in the vicinity of humans should not be eaten, however, other species have long been eaten. It has long been known how long a person can live without food, and now many scientists assume that these insects will help people survive in the future and provide them with food.

How to cook cockroaches deliciously

Dishes made from these insects are widespread in warm latitudes, where edible species live, namely in the countries of Southeast Asia and South America. In addition, the natives of Madagascar also enjoy eating these insects.

They can be boiled or fried. The meat tastes like beef. Before cooking, you can cool the insects in the freezer, this way they will fall asleep and will not jump out of the pan. Also, you need to remove the legs and wings. Check out other recipes for cooking in a cauldron over a fire to prepare a delicious delicacy.

Fried cockroaches are considered a delicacy. Now many people cook them at home, they say that they resemble seeds. Such “seeds” are very nutritious and contain more protein than fat, which is an undeniable advantage.

They can also be baked in an egg. To do this you will need eggs, cockroaches, salt and spices to taste. For baking, it is necessary that the insect does not have a hard shell. Therefore, larvae that have not had time to grow wings or female Turkmen cockroaches are suitable for cooking.

You need to place them in the freezer for a quarter of an hour, then rinse and dry with napkins. Then you need to heat the frying pan, pour the egg onto it and cover with a lid. After a few minutes, you need to put the cockroaches and spices on top. Fry over low heat until done. The dish is served with vegetable salad. If the insects were caught in the wild, they need to be cooked longer. It is better to eat insects specially bred for this purpose.

Fried cockroaches are considered a delicacy. Before cooking, you need to place them in the freezer for half an hour to an hour. This won't kill them, but it will provide a coma that will allow the insects to cook quickly. Then you need to rinse it to remove dirt and remove the pungent odor. The human body is not able to digest the chitinous shell, so it is necessary to clean the carcasses of all solid parts, namely: legs, antennae, shell. Then you can rinse again. To eliminate any remaining liquids. Then you need to dry the insects on a towel.

Pour oil into a heated frying pan, add garlic and rosemary, add cockroaches to this frying pan. The oil should cover them completely. The insects are fried for several minutes. Then remove from the frying pan onto a paper towel to remove excess fat.

Fried cockroaches

A simple and unpretentious dish for exotic lovers. Only Madagascar cockroaches will make an ideal food that tastes like juicy chicken meat.

Take 8 Madagascar cockroaches and put them in the freezer. Pour a little vegetable oil into the frying pan, dilute it with butter. Add herbs and seasonings to the heated oil mixture:

• parsley;
• thyme;
• dill;
• salt;
• garlic;
• ground pepper.

In such a fragrant mixture, fry the insects removed from the refrigerator and washed for five minutes. Serve with pan sauce.

Features of cooking Madagascar cockroaches

This species is one of the largest representatives. The darker the color of the insect, the older it is. Unlike our unwanted neighbors, Madagascar cockroaches do not have wings. This type of insect is absolutely safe for humans. When it sees danger, it presses itself to the ground; it is almost impossible to grab an insect from above. In captivity, these insects live up to three years, in the wild no more than one and a half years.

In older individuals, the shell becomes lighter. One female carries about three dozen eggs.

Before consumption, it is necessary that the insect undergoes good heat treatment and chew the specimens thoroughly. These measures are taken to make it easier for the stomach to cope with unusual food. Chitin is not digested by the human system; if there is too much of it, gastric obstruction and even death may occur.

Doctors do not speak out against eating insects. Their composition characterizes cockroach dishes as dietary and healthy food. The main thing is to cook correctly and consume only species specially bred for nutrition.

Egg with cockroaches

A simple recipe (provided you can get Turkmen cockroaches). For preparation you will need:

Dish of cockroaches with egg

• egg;
• spices;
• cockroaches.

The humane way to deal with insects is to put them in the freezer for a quarter of an hour, thereby killing them painlessly. After freezing, remove, rinse thoroughly and blot dry with a napkin.

Pour a few drops of oil into a frying pan over medium heat and gently crack the egg. Cover with a lid and wait a minute. Sprinkle with spices and place the mustache ingredient on top, being careful not to damage the yolk structure.

Cover again tightly with a lid and continue frying for 3-4 minutes. Best served with a light salad on the side.

Cockroaches and how they get into the house

When cockroaches appear in the house, you begin to think: “Where did the insects come from?” There are many ways pests can enter your home. Let's look at the main ones:

• Neighbours. It may happen that your neighbors have baleen pests, but in this area they do not have enough space and food to reproduce. They begin to move and develop new territories. This is how cockroaches may end up in your apartment. For this reason, after some time, the entrance and the entire house may suffer from unwanted insects.
• Bullying. Your neighbors are suffering from an invasion of mustachioed “friends” and are beginning to actively fight them, creating conditions unsuitable for the life of cockroaches. During disinfection, not all pests die; a certain number of cockroaches can escape and run to the next apartment.
• Purchases. Often, pests can enter the house along with purchases brought from the store. Often pests enter an apartment with the purchase of furniture, since the furniture is stored in warehouses where pests live in huge quantities.
• Things. Many people buy things and furniture secondhand, and together with them they can acquire unwanted insects. Also, many people go on business trips or travel, and cockroaches can live at their place of residence (hotel or hotel). There is a chance that they will be able to sneak into your things unnoticed and go home with you.
• Parcels. Nowadays it is common to order things online because it is convenient. It has been proven that delivery of items from other countries is the main type of transportation of exotic pests. This is how black cockroaches can appear in houses.

There are a number of factors that contribute to reproduction and further residence in your apartment. The main factor is the insect's access to food. Cockroaches are very unpretentious insects; they can feed on bread crumbs, waste in a trash can, and garbage on a dirty floor. Pests can live without food for about a week. Then they begin to move into the cabinets and feed on the bindings of books. It is better to keep the house clean and periodically carry out preventive baiting to prevent cockroaches from infesting your home.

What do cockroaches prefer to eat?

Whiskered insects are omnivores - they can feed on everything that is within the habitat of their family. They prefer dead and motionless food, but in some cases, without any twinge of conscience, they can attack their fellow creatures, eating wings or paws with appetite.

Uninvited guests are attracted to foods rich in carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Mustachioed pests will especially like:

Foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins attract cockroaches

• dry flakes;
• meat;
• beer;
• cheese;
• dandruff;
• soap;
• wallpaper glue;
• vegetables;
• paper;
• fruits;
• starch;
• sweets;
• nylon.

Thanks to the huge number of bacteria in the digestive tract of insects, they can easily digest the most unimaginable objects, causing enormous harm to apartment residents.

Cockroaches eat a chicken egg

Cat and cockroaches

Almost every home has pets, and more than once people have asked the questions “How does my cat get along with cockroaches?”, “Are cockroaches dangerous for cats?”, “Do cats eat cockroaches?”

Felines are hunters, so they can eat flies, bugs and cockroaches. For this reason, in ancient times, cats began to be allowed into their homes; they rid the house of rats, mice and harmful insects.

The big problem is that neighbors can poison mustachioed pests with toxic substances; in order to escape death, they can run into your house. And your pet will want to feast on a new victim, but a poisoned cockroach can have a detrimental effect on your cat. Therefore, experts recommend warning all neighbors about insect poisoning before disinfecting the premises.

What to do if a cat ate a poisoned cockroach?

• Run to the veterinary clinic to have your pet's stomach cleaned.

If it is not possible to contact a veterinarian, you should rinse the stomach yourself:

• Dilute a small ball of entorosgel in water and feed the solution to the cat through a syringe.
• Grind half a tablet of white coal with water and give it to the animal.
• It is not recommended to feed your pet for 8-10 hours, just give it water.
• Dilute smecta with water, as written in the instructions, and give the cat through a syringe in small doses.
• Activated carbon at the rate of one tablet per 10 kg. A piece of tablet must be mixed with a small amount of water and administered through a syringe into the animal’s oral cavity.
• Give a solution of potassium permanganate.

How to poison cockroaches if you have a cat at home

Initially, before baiting insects, you need to clean the house, wash the floors, furniture with detergent, and eliminate leaks in the pipes.

Cockroach repellents that are safe for animals, including cats:

• Gel is a chemical product that can be used in an apartment where there are children and cats. The gel should be applied to baseboards, dark places inaccessible to animals, under the sink, in the trash can, near counters and pipes. The main thing is not to forget that you do not need to apply the gel to easily accessible places for animals and children.
• Boric acid - The best homemade insect repellent. Boric acid is mixed with egg yolk, a spoonful of sugar is added, mixed thoroughly and rolled into balls. Afterwards they are laid out in places where pests live. This mixture does not harm humans, but if a cat eats this product, it can become poisoned, so you need to be careful. You should do the same with acid as with gel, pour it where there is no access for animals. A killed mustachioed pest does not harm the health of the animal or family members.

As a result, I would like to say that there is no absolutely safe means of combating insects. Any product contains poison and can harm your pet. Therefore, when processing a room, do not forget about the personal safety and safety of all residents of your apartment.

Sources

• https://KlopSOS.ru/tarakany/mozhno-li-est/
• https://apest.ru/tarakany/1-info/21-chto-budet-esli-sest/
• https://pest-destroy.ru/nasekomye/cockroach/19-udivitelnyh-faktov-o-tarakanah/
• https://mir-tourista.ru/statyi/vyzhivanie-v-dikoi-prirode/pitanie/tarakany-kak-gotovit.html
• https://netzhukam.ru/tarakany/tarakany-v-kvartire/koshka-i-tarakany.html

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