If you’ve ever read books on nutrition or even followed the news over the years, I’m sure you’ve heard about the debate over whether margarine is really healthier than butter and vice versa. Honestly, it’s still pretty debatable today, hence why both options are still readily available on the market. Of course, we’ll all continue to hold our personal opinion on the matter. Some of us will pick one over the other, and then there are others of us who are looking for the next alternative to real butter.
That next alternative might be right around the corner! Yes, it’s dairy-free, but no, it’s not vegetarian- or vegan-friendly, technically. (Erm, what?) That’s right: the butter is made from insects!
But it’s no early April Fool’s joke. The scientists at Ghent University in Belgium are currently experimenting with converting larva fat into a butter-like substance to slatter on our food and add to our recipes. According to the researchers, the gray-toned butter is more environmentally-friendly than its cow milk counterpart.
“There are several positive things about using insect ingredients,” said Tzompa Sosa. “They are more sustainable because (insects) use less land (than cattle), they are more efficient at converting feed … and they also use less water to produce butter.”
And if that’s not a good enough reason for you to want to potentially try insect butter in the future, it’s also quite nutritious. (I know what you’re thinking: yuck.) Those creepy crawlies that normally give you the heebie-jeebies are packed with protein, fiber, and plenty of vitamins and minerals.
And if placed on the market, researchers expect the butter to sell for a more affordable cost because, well, it’s a lot easier and cheaper to produce.
“Many tribal cultures eat bugs. They are a good source of protein. I have seen people eat bugs in Thailand,” one person said in agreement.
“Helllll no, this just really BUGS me…” a “punny” commenter wrote.
Although I think I’ll stick to regular butter, and happily continue to take my daily vitamins and supplements, the concept is neat. But sadly for bug butter fans, the scientists admit that after consuming cake made with their experimental butter, it has an off-putting taste. It looks like the rest of you have to wait to consume the butter too!
I don’t know if you want to, but if you happen to be interested, learn more about the larva butter below.
