UBC cooking competition aims to show bugs are great to eat
There was only one rule contestants had to follow at a cooking competition held at UBC on Tuesday: the dishes had to include bugs.
Four groups presented judges with their creations – shortbread, tacos, cheesecake and ginger cookies – all made with cricket flour or mealworm.
Dubbed the Great UBC Bug Bake Off, the event is designed to show students and the public that insects are edible, nutritious and packed with protein.
“So that the negative feeling that people have about insects should be lessened, or should go away, or should be eliminated,” said Dr. Yasmin Akhtar, lecturer in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems.
Marks were given for ingenuity, texture and, of course, flavour.
“Ew, gross, sure, but you know, we have to have a more healthy relationship with our food system,” said UBC executive chef David Speight, who was one of the adjudicators.
“Our food system is broken, and if we are going to feed 10 billion people down the road, we really do have to rethink our relationship with food,” he argued.
There is also an environmental benefit to eating bugs. Rearing them requires less water, feed and space.
“Insects are just like animals that we regularly consume, just like beef, chicken, pork,” said student Nicole Lee.
In the end, the chefs who made the shortbread with cricket flour were chosen as the winners.
The cookies were sweet and crunchy, with just a hint of bug.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976352.1721854719!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.
Canada's envoy to NYC called to testify about $9M condo purchase on 'Billionaires' Row'
Canada's Consul General in New York will have to explain the government's decision to buy a $9 million condo in Manhattan's famous 'Billionaires' Row,' to a parliamentary committee.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Wildfire north of Calgary prompts evacuation alert, highway closures
A wildfire is prompting evacuations and highway closures north of Calgary.
Price of new housing dipped slightly in June: Statistics Canada
The cost of a new house was slightly cheaper in June compared to May, according to Statistics Canada. Prices dropped 0.2 per cent month-over-month, which is the first time in 2024 that new houses have sold for cheaper than the month prior.
'Inside Out 2' becomes highest-grossing animated movie of all time
If there’s one emotion that Disney and Pixar are probably feeling right now, it’s joy. That’s after movie sequel 'Inside Out 2' became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, raking in US$1.46 billion at the global box office and dethroning former record holder 'Frozen 2' from 2019, according to Disney on Wednesday.
2 wildfires less than 8 km away from Jasper townsite, some structures impacted in national park
As the evacuation order continues for Jasper National Park, officials confirm that some structures in the park have been damaged by fire, but they can't confirm what those structures are.
Parts of DVP, Lake Shore Boulevard briefly flooded as Toronto hit with heavy rain
Thunderstorms rolled through Toronto Wednesday afternoon, bringing heavy rain and causing flash flooding on the Don Valley Parkway (DVP), Lake Shore Boulevard and some downtown subway stations.