Parshat Shmini: The Other Other White Meat
Leviticus 11:21
אַ֤ךְ אֶת־זֶה֙ תֹּֽאכְל֔וּ מִכֹּל֙ שֶׁ֣רֶץ הָע֔וֹף הַהֹלֵ֖ךְ עַל־אַרְבַּ֑ע אֲשֶׁר לא כְרָעַ֙יִם֙ מִמַּ֣עַל לְרַגְלָ֔יו לְנַתֵּ֥ר בָּהֵ֖ן עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
But these you may eat among all the winged swarming things that walk on fours: all that have, above their feet, jointed legs to leap with on the ground.
Let us take a moment to remember that there are some bugs that are kosher to eat – specifically locusts. This is useful when a locust invasion devastated one’s crop yield, because there is always a crunchy Plan B. However, as some locusts are kosher and some are not, please consult your rabbi before partaking.
Below is an article about how an Israeli chef made lemonade out of lemons (or locust fry out of locusts?) during a locust invasion in 2013, and a recipe in case we find ourselves in the same predicament.
Shabbat Shalom, and b’tayavon!