When you’re enjoying a cold beer at the tailgate you need a snack, but you likely NEVER thought to eat a bug! Well we didn’t either until we learned about a company called Crunchy Critters. They make a variety of trail mixes complete with BUGS that, as tailgating reporters, we knew we had to try.
Crunchy Critters is based in the United Kingdom, but recently started getting in the USA market and we got a sample of each of the flavors that they offer:
Worms Seeds and Fruits
Worms Chocolate and Fruits
Worms Beans and Peas flavored with Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar
Worms Beans and Peas flavored with Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Worms Beans and Peas flavored with Smoked Paprika
Crunchy Kids Critters
Before we get into our taste tests I know the question that most of you have is WHY?! Why in the world would you eat bugs when there are other food options to have? We did some digging into why 80% of the world currently eats bugs and why we should consider it:
-High in Protein
-Low in fat
-High in vitamins and minerals like: iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus
-Naturally sustainable
-May stabilize blood sugar levels
-May help with depression
-Promote healthy brain function
-Stronger bones and teeth
-Anti-Aging properties
The list continues and I was shocked by all the positive benefits that eating insects could do for us! I know in our household we are trying to eat less beef, poultry and pork given some of the inhumane conditions these animals are placed in. In looking for other ways to get protein, bugs could be the food to fill the gap. I normally have a protein bar, or protein shake each day. I wonder if eating a handful of bugs would be a replacement to that post work out shake?
At this point we know there are some very valid reasons for considering eating bugs, but the thought of eating bugs, on purpose, was still weighing on our minds. Knowing we rarely back down from a challenge we were all in and even doubled down. In addition to the line up of Crunchy Critters we also got a Zebra Tarantula and a Black Scorpion as the grand finale to our bug sampling challenge.
We lined up our bug buffet and let the camera role, you can watch the video below, as we ate more bugs in a hour than we had in our entire lives. First up, we dug into the Crunchy Critters. First the Sea Salt and Black Pepper, these were actually pretty good. Remember in these mixes there are a variety of seasonings and other food items that are not bugs. This helps to balance things out. There were mealworms with roasted fava beans and peas in this mix. There were other similar options, but with a different flavor of Paprika and Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar. The Smoked Paprika was one of our overall favorites that I will actually eat after this article is completed.
There were also some more relaxed trail mix flavors that included things like chocolate, figs, coconuts and more in each of packs. There was one: Crunchy kids’ Critters that was actually all BUGS! This was the most hardcore of all the samples and it’s for kids! I can guess that kids in the UK are tougher than some adults in America:)
We finished with the grand finale where we eat a Zebra Tarantula and a Black Scorpion! These were made by the Newport Jerky Company who have a variety of interesting products just like these. We started with the Tarantula and as we unwrapped the package the spider was not as imposing as our minds led us to believe. It was dried with a slight dusting of salt. We took a bite and were prepared for the worse, but quickly learned there was nothing to be afraid of, as the flavor was extremely mild. Actually, there was hardly any flavor at all.
We followed this up with the Black Scorpion. I grab one of the giant claws and bit down, WOW this was the most crunchy thing I’ve ever eaten. I don’t mean this in a good way, as it’s so hard and crunchy we didn’t even finish the full scorpion. In the video you’ll see Sketchy ask what is the flavor in this scorpion and I respond I think that is scorpion flavor. It was unique to anything we had ever tasted before, so guess that’s what a scorpion tastes like. Eating the scorpion is one of the ultimate bug challenges due to how hard and crunchy it is!
Now you know why you should eat bugs….or at least give them a try. If you take the BUG CHALLENGE then we need to see your pictures and videos. We will feature the top submissions on our social media channels!
