Healthier fast food? That's how the new insect burger really tastes

A ground beetle burger as an alternative to Big Mac and Co? For two young entrepreneurs from Osnabrück an attractive business idea: They developed the so-called "Bux Burger", which consists of vegetable ingredients and ground buffalo worm. What sounds frightening to many fast food fans might, from the experts' point of view, be a sensible nutritional variant. Because the consumption of insects offers many advantages compared to other animal products.
Base made of ground buffalo tower
Whether classic with beef, chicken or a vegan vegetable patty: burgers are becoming increasingly popular in the fast food sector. But can the fans of the warm snack also imagine an insect meatball between the buns? What sounds unbelievable is what Max Krämer and Baris Özel from Osnabrück in Lower Saxony have implemented and now want to bring their so-called "Bux Burger" to life across Europe over the next few years. The special feature: The burger consists of herbal ingredients and ground buffalo worm, which is the larva of the cereal beetle. "Tastes like falafel," says young entrepreneur Krämer to the "dpa".

Insect burger: Little fat but an alternative? Image: BillionPhotos.com - fotolia

Two billion people eat insects daily
Beetles, grasshoppers or butterflies for lunch? What sounds offensive to many Europeans at first is quite normal for millions of people in other parts of the world. According to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), insects are part of the daily diet of two billion people worldwide and more than 1,900 species are reportedly used as food. From an expert's point of view, a number of pro-arguments speak for the consumption of insects. So they are e.g. ecologically advantageous compared to cattle, pigs or poultry, since, among other things, the rearing is significantly less harmful to the climate and the groundwater is less polluted.
In addition, according to the FAO insects are healthy and nutritious, because they are rich in healthy fat, protein, vitamins, ballast and minerals. Last but not least, the palate is happy too, because "insects simply taste good," say Max Krämer and Baris Özel in an interview with the news agency. Krämer reports that he first ate insects on a trip to Thailand. "I wrote about this in my bachelor thesis and came across a lot of prejudices about insects as food," continues Osnabrücker.

Bux Burger so far only available in Brussels
Due to the legal framework, the new burger is currently only sold in a restaurant in the Belgian capital Brussels. In Germany, the innovative snack must not go over the counter, because as a novel food, it must first be extensively tested for its safety. In the steakhouse in Brussels' trendy district of Ixelles, he now stands next to zebra, kangaroo and reindeer on the menu. "The exotic Bux Burger is a perfect fit," says restaurant owner Edit Kiss. Once or twice a day, this is ordered for a price of 16.50 euros, but there were already regular customers.

No visual differences to familiar products
"We have experimented a lot," says Kiss the "dpa". Since the patty consists half of ground buffalo worms and other vegetable components, he was initially a bit dry. But this has changed since a few pieces of butter have been put into the oven. The larvae refer the restaurant to two breeders from Belgium and the Netherlands. Except for the insect patty, there are no differences to the usual products, because even with the Bux Burger this is between two bun halves, salad, tomato, cucumber, cheese and barbecue sauce. From the outside, therefore, according to Özel is not recognizable, which hides in the covering. "That takes a lot of the disgusting effect," explains the young entrepreneur.

The smell and taste reminiscent of sunflower seeds, so the report of the "dpa" on. Despite the dominance of the smoky barbecue sauce, the peculiar taste of the insect padding comes to the fore. An important point, because the insects according to the FAO are healthy and nutritious, according Özel alone is not enough: "If the taste is not convinced, it does not work."

But especially in this country, the consumption of insects seems to cause predominantly disgust. This has resulted in at least one YouGov survey commissioned by the German Press Agency. As reported, disgust for 83 percent of respondents is the reason, rather to dispense with the small animals, only for every tenth, however, speak the taste against it. Seven percent would therefore consider insects unhealthy, and just as many would generally find it unreasonable to eat animals. (No)