What Is Cricket Protein Flour?
The Cricket Hop Co. Cricket Protein Flour Powder is a Nutritional flour made from 100% roasted and ground crickets (Acheta Domesticus) It can be used as an alternative complete protein source to Whey. It is Gluten, Soy, Lactose, Nut-Free and NON-GMO. It contains 3 x the protein content of Beef! Find out more: https://www.crickethop.com/products
What are your cricket’s fed on?
Our Crickets are fed on a natural agricultural bi product - the leaves of the cassava plant. This further improves the environmental credentials of our crickets!
Is your Cricket Protein Flour Gluten-Free?
YES: The Cricket Hop Co. Cricket Flour Protein Powder is made from 100% Crickets which are fed on Organic and sustainable Cassava leaves. These green plants farmed for their edible root are Gluten-free, and also makes the crickets docile, which naturally increases their growth rate while they rest. The by-product of the crickets (frass) is a high nitrate fertiliser which is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and is believed to increase plant nutrients and acts as a natural insect repellent. We give this fertiliser back to our farmers to enrich the soil resulting in close to zero wastage. Find out more: https://www.crickethop.com/products
Are crickets safe for human consumption?
Our crickets are 100% safe. Each batch that our partners produce is lab tested in a controlled environment to meet international certification.
What do Cricket’s taste like?
They have an earthy nutty flavour and some breeds take on tones of mushroom and shellfish. Depending on what they are cooked with, they take on different flavours easily and can be both sweet and savoury. I prefer to use the cricket powder for convenience when baking sourdough, banana bread and muffins and for making smoothies but I also add whole crickets to finish my taco’s, Poke bowls, bibimbap and granola. It also goes extremely well with mushroom dishes and is great for a flexitarian diet. A perfect tool for adding protein to plant based dishes.
How is cricket flour made?
After the 10 cycles of shedding their exoskeleton at around five weeks some crickets are kept for breading, the rest have another week of feeding. They are then deprived of food for 3 days to clear their tract. They are then cleaned and placed in a freezing unit to become dormant before roasting, pressing and ground into powder. We have 2 types of flour. Full fat or semi pressed low fat! The pressed option has a slightly longer shelf life. The oil is then refined and can be used for cooking and for finishing dishes much like an extra virgin olive oil. After each batch is produced a toxin report is carried out at a lab to test for Salmonella, microbial and coliform.
How do I use cricket flour?
It’s incredibly versatile! It can be added to breads when baking, fresh pasta and noodles. You can add it to baking goods to increase its nutritional values and gain extra protein. It can be added to soups or smoothies or you can just sprinkle it on to foods. You can find recipe ideas on the recipe section of the website and also on our instagram page
Do you crickets feel pain?
Though all insects do have a nervous system that consists of dendrites and ganglia, as far as the scientific community is concerned the jury is still out on whether or not an insect can feel pain. Scientists conclude that insects do not feel pain the way that we do. When we harvest the crickets we place them into a freezing unit to make them dormant before the drying process begins.
Do you think that crickets will become accepted by Vegetarians and Vegans in time?
Yes we believe that in time when people understand the concept more and are used to it that peoples attitudes towards eating insects will change. From a strictly environmental stand point they may agree that produced correctly crickets have a lesser environmental impact than vegan alternatives. For now it is up to personal preference and our reasons for not consuming animal products.
Are crickets considered Halal?
According to Islamic law, all insects are haram except for locusts.
In general, haram meat creatures are divided into several categories:
1. All sea creatures which do not have scales.
2. Among land creatures, dogs, pigs, predatory creatures which have sharp teeth and claws and talons, like lions, foxes, rabbits, wolves, elephants, etc. are haram. But all types of sheep, camel, cow, deer, goat and wild donkeys are halal, and horse and domestic donkeys are Makruh.
3. Birds that flap their wings less and glide more than they flap are haram and birds that flap their wings more than they glide while flying are halal. In addition, birds that have a crop or a gizzard are halal. (Reminder: Birds that have claws and talons like hawks, eagles and falcons are haram.)
So in conclusion all insects are haram except for locusts. Ask your Iman for more advise.
Are crickets considered Kosher food?
According to some interpretations of Leviticus, crickets are kosher.
Can you be allergic to crickets?
Some people who are are prone to seafood allergies can be sensitive or allergic to crickets. This is due to the composition of their exoskeleton which is similar to shrimp.
Is Cricket Flour suitable for Paleo, Keto and low carb diets?
The Cricket Hop Co. Cricket Protein Flour Powder is low in carbohydrate only producing 5g per 100g and containing 0g of sugar. This makes it extremely appealing for a low carb, Paleo, Keto or whole30 diet. The low carb diet is one of the most popular and easiest dietary changes you can make to slim down. Diets which focus on this such as Keto, Paleo and whole30 diet are extremely popular these days. Now with the emphasis on healthy fats as good fats, the old stigma of the Atkins diet has changed, bringing healthier recipes along with it. The Cricket Hop Co. has a number of low carb delicious recipes on our website which are easy to follow and free for everyone to enjoy. It also features strict keto recipes which offers crickets as a healthy and sustainable alternative protein source to meat. https://www.crickethop.com/recipes
Where can I buy Cricket Hop Co. cricket flour?
We are available for sale in the UK, Channel Islands and across Europe on Amazon UK. Currently our flour is available at selected weekend markets in Saigon, Vietnam. Please email us for more information and if you are interesting in stocking our product globally.
Will eating crickets improve my hair, nails, eye sight and give me spider senses?
Yes, Yes, Yes and who knows maybe.. give it a whirl!
Do you think crickets can save the world?
Not on their own but it will be down to individuals to change, adapt and start taking responsibility for the planet. It starts with what you choose to eat, consume and with small changes we can make day by day to improve that.
Just by choosing sustainable packaging, reusable cups and bottles, eating less meat and fish and stop using so much single use plastic and other environmentally harmful products and energy resources. If we all made these small changes then it would have a massive impact. Fingers crossed!