5/24/2006

Martian silkworms eyed as protein source
Pink Tentacle 2006.05.24—Japanese scientists researching the prospects of long-term human settlements on Mars are dreaming up ways to address the challenges of Martian agriculture…..concept involves the construction of transparent resin domes where rice, beans, potatoes, and mulberries are grown in soil consisting of a mixture of Martian sand and compost material. The plants would generate oxygen inside the domes, and the mulberry leaves would serve as food for the silkworms… “When cooked, silkworm pupae taste like shrimp or crab meat,” says Professor Yamashita. “People all over Japan ate them during the food shortages after World War II, and you can still buy canned pupae in Nagano prefecture.”

Martian or not, silkworms are yummy!

I’ve eaten them in Japan many times—generally as a drinking snack, not the main course.

Fry the larvae in hot oil. No salt or spices are necessary as the larvae taste fine on their own.