Grilled, fried or stewed: Eateries in Singapore serving up silkworms without approval
Silkworm dishes sold at Chuan Chuan Le, a Chinese restaurant in Jalan Besar (Foto: Facebook/Chuan Chuan Le)
The sale of insects for consumption has not yet been approved in Singapore, but some eateries are already serving up dishes with creepy-crawlies. A check online and at food establishments found several Chinese and Korean restaurants here selling silkworm pupae – usually grilled, fried or stewed in soups.
Chuan Chuan Le, a Chinese restaurant in Jalan Besar specialising in grilled skewers, put up a post on its Facebook page last month introducing two of its new dishes: Stir-fried silkworms and grilled silkworms. Silkworms were also on the menu at Ode to Joy Dining, a coffee shop stall in Midview City selling grilled food and mala xiang guo, a spicy, tongue-numbing stir-fry of vegetables and meats. Another grilled skewers restaurant, Tang Men Chuan Chuan in Orchard Plaza, offered chilli-fried silkworms at S$28.80 (US$21.70) for order on food delivery platforms.
The sale of silkworm pupae and other insect products for consumption is currently not allowed, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in response to CNA queries. "Members of the public who come across illegal sales of insects or insect products for food should report to SFA via the online feedback form, which we will investigate," said the agency's spokesperson.
SFA reviews 16 insect species for human consumption; seeks feedback on import conditions
Worms and insects on a plate. (Photo: iStock)
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) may soon allow the import and sale of insects and insect products for human consumption and animal feed. In a statement on Sunday (Oct 16), the SFA said that after a "thorough scientific review", it could allow "specific species of insects with a history of human consumption" to be served as food.
Sixteen insect species have been reviewed for human consumption, including some types of crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, mealworms, moths, silkworms and honey bees. The commercial farming of insects for human consumption and animal feed has been promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation in recent years, the SFA said. In Singapore, more than 10 companies have expressed interest in importing insect food products or insect farming, it added.
Companies intending to import or farm insects for human consumption or animal feed have to meet certain requirements for food safety, SFA said. These include providing documentary proof that the imported insects were farmed in "regulated establishments with food safety controls" and that no pathogens or harmful contaminants were used in the rearing or feeding of the insects.
Like It or Not, Fried Fish-Cricket Soup Is Our Future
As far as food reviews are concerned, this one takes the cricket cake. Nestled between the pale white strands of silky noodles and nuggets of fried fish, the jet-black fried cricket looks almost comically out of place. A munch in, and we almost gagged; the bits of briny, metallic nuttiness of this bug lend an umami relish that’s rather hard to place.
Still, while an unprecedented fit, the fried cricket’s aromatic, peppery, and crunchy texture—reminiscent of nasi lemak sambal—is slowly growing on us. We like this, maybe. The strangeness of eating bugs gives way to mild acceptance that surprises our colleagues watching us from across the table, brows furrowed, perplexed.
We gamely chomped down on the remaining scraps of crickets and fish slices. The room is silent save for crackle-crunch-crackle-crunch-crackle. Soon, the table is only left with empty plastic containers. We slouch backwards on our chairs, sighing in food coma satisfaction. We check our teeth for stray bug legs and wings. Day one of eating crickets with local dishes is off to a good start.
How crickets could help save the planet
Edible insects will someday shift gears from fad to mainstream, some farmers believe. But it's a long road, and supporters will need to hurdle significant obstacles along the way
The world's population is creeping up on 7.5 billion, but estimates suggest we'll have a whopping 9 billion mouths to feed by 2050.
Unless we all stick to salads, the global production of meat will need to double in that time to feed our growing population, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO). Feed and crop production will also have to increase in kind to support livestock and our own appetites, inevitably taking up more land space and water — precious and dwindling commodities required for cattle.
But resources aren't the only issue. This increase in agricultural production will exacerbate the effects of climate change by releasing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (agricultural activities currently contribute nearly one-tenth of the country's greenhouse emissions). What's more, animal waste releases ammonia, a pollutant that can affect soil and water quality. Yet this seemingly large food security problem may have a bite-sized solution: insects.
TRANSFORMING WASTE INTO HIGH-VALUE BIOMATERIALS
As the first urban insect farm in Singapore rearing the black soldier fly (hermetia illucens), Insectta takes food waste and returns it into the economy as valuable biomaterials.
We hold the knowledge to farm, process, and extract high-value biomaterials from the black soldier fly, ready for use in a diverse array of industries.
Big Bug Boom
Thai farmers find more money to be made in bugs
Thai farmers find more money to be made in bugs
Shortly after dawn, a procession of trucks, motorcycles and carts laden with plastic-wrapped bundles winds its way toward Aranyaprathet's sprawling Rong Klua market, the largest second-hand emporium in the country. The town is on the eastern border with Cambodia and draws vendors from the neighbouring country peddling mostly used clothing, curios and tawdry knickknacks. However, the 3,000-stall market is not all trinkets, with vendors selling fresh produce from Cambodia, including edible insects.
Thea Tep is one of a growing number of insect sellers creating a buzz in a cavernous hall in the heart of the market. Mornings are her busiest time, when boxes crammed with frozen grasshoppers are delivered to her shop, Tata Bugs Trading. She also sells frozen silkworm pupae transported overland from southern China. She says the business has improved since her father started it a decade ago. "The supply of insects is better now," she said.
The edible insect trade has taken off in Thailand in recent years and the country is now Southeast Asia's largest importer of insects. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates Thailand annually imports 800 tons of edible insects from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos and 270 tons of silkworm pupae from China.
Cricket smoothies, anyone?
A spoonful of edible cricket. Some types of crickets are among 16 insect species the Singapore Food Agency has reviewed for human consumption. (Photo: iStock/casketcase)
Crickets could be available as snacks in Singapore. New laws in the works to regulate insects for human consumption in Singapore means Asia Insect Farm Solutions can one day bring its cricket powder - currently only available for sale in Europe - to market here.
The firm is looking at venturing into the snack market because there is a perception that such foods are not healthy, said its co-founder Yuvanesh T S. “We thought with edible insects being high in protein and other vitamins and minerals, we can also create products that are nutritious but still tasty,” he told CNA. A 100g serving of crickets contains 65g of protein, more than twice in a similar serving of chicken breast.
While people may find the insects off-putting in their whole form, they may be more comfortable with them in powder form, said Mr Yuvanesh. “We are trying to think of ways where we can introduce edible insect-based products in a way that people are comfortable,” he said, citing smoothies as an example that people may find acceptable. CNA journalist Chloe Choo, who tasted a peanut butter and kale smoothie made with the powder, said that people are unlikely to taste the alternative protein’s presence in their drink.
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