The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-03-06

! tinguishable from shrlmps!
1t was an official of the government
bureau of insects who made the re-
mark smacking his lips as he did So.
He had eaten grasshoppers on several
occasions, and knew how tasty they
were.
"Pity il is" he said, that people in
this country cannot be taught to ap-
preciate grasshoppers as table dell
cacy. Every now and then local FAM
ines are caused by plaques OF the in
sects, and it would be an immense ad-
vantage if the sufferers from such af-
lictions could learn how to utilize as
food. at least temporarily, the doors
of the mischief.
The bureau Of insects has made
very thorough and quite elaborate ex-
periments of grasshoppers as food,
and has reached the conclusion that
they afford a palatable and nutritious
diet. They may be prepared in quite
a number of ways, and all along the
line from the chatting dish to the soup
pot prove most satisfactory. Further
more when roasted in numbers and
pressed, with the addition of some
salt, into hard cakes they will keep
for an indefinite period.
The proper way to prepare grass
hopper soup Gas ascertained by the
government entomOlogists) is to boil
the insects over brisk fire, adding
salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg; then
to remove them from the liquid and
round them in a mortar, with bread
fried brown, afterward returning them
to the saucepan, and finally straining
the mixture before serving it as a
broth. l can state, as a result of per-
sonal trial. that the result equals
crawfish bisque, which it closely re-
sembles in flavor.
Grasshopper Croquets.
"Grasshopper curry is by no means
to be sneezed at, and croquettes of
the same material are exquisite.
Truth to tell, the only occasion on
which l have ever eaten hopper GRO
quotes was at the table of the late
c. V. Riley, at the time entomOlogist
in chief of the government, who was
an enthusiastic advocate of insects as
food. He did not mention what they
were. and nobody would have guessed
the secret if it had not been for an
accidental hind leg which was found
in one of the croquettes. 1t was what
might be termed the joke instructive
though l am sure that everybody
present relished it.
plain roast grasshoppers are very
good, indeed, though on the whole |
rather prefer them fried in butter.
There is a decided suggestion of the
crawfish about them-if one happens
to be familiar with the latter delicacy.
have heard that in South Africa the
natives build fires in advance of fly
causing them to fall to the ground by
millions. whereupon they pound them
between stones and mix the flour thus
obtained with water to compose a
kind of soup.
The most interesting experiment
with grasshoppers, up to date, how
by Professor William K. Kedzie of
The Kansas Agricultural college, who
obtained from bushel of the insects,
| by pressure, about four quarts of Ii
quid. which he subjected to analysis.
! BY distillation he derived from it a
pure and colorless solution of formie
acid-which, by the way, is a valu-
able commercial product, worth &C
| cents an ounce. 1t used to be got
exclusively from red ants. Not only
is it useful for medicinal purposes but
also in the laboratory, for reducing
the salts of gold, silver and platinum
If grasshoppers are SO rich in it, they
might be turned to valuable account
in this way.
| Moses an Authority.
The use of graSshoppers as food i:
no new thing. No less an authorit!
than Moses said to the Israelites o
old: Even these of them We may eat
the locust after his kind, and the BALI
locust after his kind, and the beetl
after his kind, and the grasshoppe
after his kind However, the MoroC
cans today regard the male grasshor
! per as unclean, and eat only the fe
male Quitting them up as a sort o
preserves in pots,) because these hav
{ on their bodies certain markings re
sembling Hebrew characters, whic
are supposed to make them Lawful
: food.
But it would be a great mistake t
suppose that grasshoppers are the onl
edible insects. Experiments mad
by the staff of the bureau of insect
have shown that wasp grubs fried i
2 the comb are excellent. When one
this fact comes to be realized GU