Lunch is served. Based on insects, jellyfish, cacti and microalgae. They are the ‘novel food’, new foods that we could soon find ourselves on the table, much to the horror of the traditionalists and of those who, in nature, do not even love these animals and vegetables a little.
Some have already been approved by the European Union, such as the miller darkness, a don’t give to eat in the form of flour, and opuntia, a variety of cactus traditionally consumed in Mexico. For jellyfish, however, the process has yet to begin. And even if we find them in oriental restaurants, in Europe they could not be cooked.
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While waiting to see if legs and tentacles will tickle our appetite, those who study nutrition and the future of food supply have already given their approval. According to a study published this year in the journal Nature Food, foods such as chlorella algae and insect larvae are not only nutritious and sustainable alternatives to traditional foods, but in the future they could also be a weapon to fight malnutrition in poor countries and to cope with the inconveniences caused by climate change.
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Contextualized in the Italian diet, they seem novelties with no purpose, if not to make a restaurant menu more curious, but for those people – constantly increasing – who follow a mainly vegetable diet, for ethical or health reasons, and are looking for more sustainable nutritious proteins than those of meat, fish or eggs, can represent a valid alternative.
“The protein component of insects is high and noble, because it contains all the essential amino acids that the body needs, just like that of meat and eggs,” he explains. Francesco Gai, who studies edible insects at the Institute of Food Production Sciences of the Cnr in Turin: “In nature there are thousands of them, but to hypothesize a supply chain, the most easily farmable species must be identified. In Italy they would be the flour worm, the cricket and the silkworm “.
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However, there is a cultural knot: how many consumers would turn up their noses at the thought of finding an insect on their plate? Several. Therefore there is more talk of use as ingredients. “The psychological barrier against insects is still strong – agrees the researcher – so we will eat crickets and vermicelli especially in the form of flours for the production of biscuits, pastas, baked goods and meat substitutes”.
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Diet products
Microalgae are also offered as protein alternatives. Which, specifies the biochemistry Paola Palestine, president of the Master in Applied Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Milan-Bicocca, “possess a high nutritional and dietary potential, studied in particular for the development of functional foods because they are rich in proteins, mineral salts, omega 3, vitamins and phytocompounds. equal to insect flours, they are excellent ingredients for enriching biscuits, yogurt, bread products and for making plant based products, such as burgers. A variety of chlorella algae, for example, has been used in combination with soy to obtain a meat substitute with interesting nutritional characteristics “.
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I know insects and small algae they will not end up whole on the plate, meuse made of cactus they could become the tasty protagonists. The experts of the National Research Council have already created a starry recipe book based on Mediterranean jellyfish, where among the edible species we find the so-called sea lung and Mediterranean cassiopeia. While waiting for Europe to authorize their trade, the CNR has patented a treatment to bring them to the table safely, fried, marinated or in carpaccio. “Unlike Asia, where aluminum salts are used to prepare them dried or in brine, the residues of which could be toxic, we have developed a process with organic salts, allowed in the food sector. To eliminate the poison, however, it is necessary to evaluate every species, but cooking is enough for some “, explains the researcher of the CNR Antonella Leone, Italian referent of the project dedicated to jellyfish: “Low in calories and fat (most of them good), they taste similar to that of shellfish and are rich in collagen, a protein that abounds in the human body, important for bones, cartilage and leather “.
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How good is the jellyfish
Hence the custom, in Asian countries, to consider them beneficial towards chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. “There are no studies yet to confirm this, but in fact our in vitro experiments have revealed that the peptides produced by jellyfish collagen may have antioxidant activity” specifies the expert. Admitted in Europe but not very common in Western cuisine, opuntia, known as prickly pear. In Italy we eat the fruit (there are large-scale crops in Sardinia and Sicily), but we could also cook the blades, that is the stem, as is done in Mexico. Mexicans collect the cactus when it is young, when its thorns are still soft, they make it into small pieces and prepare it in various ways. Fried, for example, with eggs and jalapeños for breakfast.
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“In Mexico there are companies that also use it to produce jams, juices and functional drinks” says another CNR researcher. Federica Blando, which has been analyzing the properties of the prickly pear for years. “It is a plant-based alternative, a source of polyphenolic antioxidants and soluble fibers, similar to those of oats and barley, which in clinical experiments have shown a hypoglycemic action. This is why it is traditionally used against diabetes”.
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The food of the future?
It is worth considering it as a food of the future, because “in view of potential climate change, it is a resistant and resilient plant, capable of surviving in adverse conditions”.
One wonders if with all the varieties of farms and crops we have, there is really the need to adopt new food categories. “Novel foods”, like insects, are to be considered an opportunity to expand the food portfolio, both for humans and for animals. This must also be seen in terms of nutritional biodiversity, because the combination of new and old foods contribute to a varied, healthy diet with a lower environmental impact “, he explains Luciano Pinotti, which is researching sustainability and the future of food supply at the University of Milan.
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“Biodiversity at the table and in agro-zootechnical production systems, in fact, is considered indispensable for guaranteeing an adequate supply of food and for a development that is attentive to the environment”. The concept of biodiversity is the basis of the recent rediscovery of ancient and half-known varieties of cereals, legumes and vegetables. Varying the choice of species, especially fish, and protein sources will be good for health and the ecosystem in which we live.
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The kitchen professionals are divided. This is how the stars see it Cristina Bowerman e Pietro Leeman. The starred kitchens are divided in front of the “novel food”. There are those who would let crickets and jellyfish enter the kitchen to offer customers daring dishes (Carlo Cracco was one of the first to talk about it almost ten years ago), while there are those who would call disinfestation when faced with a worm.
Among the proponents of new foods Cristina Bowerman, starred chef in Rome, volcanic in style and cuisine. “I would include” novel foods “on the menu because I think people come to our restaurants to try exciting experiences. However, insects cannot be just a habit of Western tables. They must also become nutritional solutions for the countries where we suffer from hungry “says the chef. “I would be thrilled if they asked me to come up with recipes based on insects to take to Africa or to countries that need them to help the population”.
Those who are part of the veg world with a deep attention to the environment, such as Pietro Leeman, founder of the first vegetarian starred restaurant in Europe, discard insects and jellyfish despite their high potential for sustainability. “I prefer to look for proteins in legumes – explains the chef – rather, I’m intrigued by the cactus because it could bring a new and interesting texture to the kitchen and plate”.
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