A new local food company is using a unique ingredient in the kitchen, and is hoping to encourage Edmontonians to join the movement.
Claudio La Rocca and Silvia Ronzani, the co-founders of Camola Sustainable Bakery, took their study of insects to the next level when they tried grasshoppers.
“One guy had almond roasted grasshopper and everyone was trying it and I thought, ‘I don’t know if I want to do it,’ but I tried it and it was really good,” Ronzani said. “I love them now, I absolutely love them now.”
Ronzani now adds crickets to the recipes, and La Rocca educates people about the benefits of eating insects, including sustainability.
“One kilogram of cricket flour requires up to four litres of water,” he said. “One kilogram of beef can go up to 48,000 litres of water.”
The couple also praises the health benefits of eating crickets, which contain around 70 per cent of protein, vitamin B12 and are low in cholesterol.
More food items are on the way. Ronzani and La Rocca want to sell dip and chips and veggie burgers containing crickets so people add edible insects to their daily diet.
She, like many, was unsure at first, but Ronzani thinks the multiple benefits of eating insects make it a popular choice.
“We see people are really into edible insects because they want to do something for the environment, so they choose crickets over meat.”
With files from Nicole Weisberg
