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Hello. This is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English.
I'm Georgie.
And I'm Beth.
Georgie, what do apples,
carrots and celery have
in common with insects like beetles,
crickets and grasshoppers?
Hmm, that's a tough one, Beth.
I'm going to say I can fit them all
in my backpack.
OK. Well, the answer is actually,
they're all examples
of foods that crunch.
There's something very satisfying
about the crunch
when you bite into a fresh apple,
a stick of celery...
or even a roasted beetle!
Yes, that's right.
In some parts of the world,
edible insects are crunched too.
Scientist Danielle Reed has been
exploring our love of crunchy food
for BBC World Service programme,
The Food Chain.
A crunch of a fresh apple is nothing
better in the world, honestly, to me.
I grew up as a small child
in an apple orchard
and so we could pick them fresh
off the tree.
And so I have
a very nuanced understanding
of the different crunches of apples
and the different types of apples.
And so, yes, I really find that to be
one of life's real true pleasures.
Danielle says
there's nothing better in the world
than the crunch of a fresh apple.
She uses the phrase nothing better
in the world
to emphasise how much she loves it.
Danielle thinks eating crunchy apples
is one of life's true pleasures –
an experience she finds enjoyable.
But why are we so attracted
to crunchy food?
That's what we'll be investigating
in this programme,
along with
some useful new vocabulary,
all of which you can find on
our website bbclearningenglish.com.
But first,
I have a question for you, Georgie.
Like Danielle, many British people
enjoy the crunch of an apple,
but according to
a 2024 YouGov study,
which is the most popular
type of apple in the UK?
Is it a) Pink Lady, b) Gala,
or c) Red Delicious?
I'm going to say a) Pink Lady,
because that's my favourite.
Ah, and me!
OK. We'll find out the answer
later in the programme.
As well as the satisfying sound
of a loud crunch,
the texture
of crunchy food is important too.
It tells our bodies to get ready
for the raw
and rough fibre needed to develop
our chewing muscles and teeth.
And there are other ways in which
crunchy food keeps us healthy,
as Danielle explains to
BBC World Service's The Food Chain.
The first bite of crunch is the
most essential bite because, really,
when we put something in our mouth,
we don't think about it this way,
but we have to decide whether
we're going to swallow, right?
So that first bite gives us a ton
of information.
I mean, everybody,
I think, has had
the experience of biting into a mushy
apple and saying, no thank you!
So, the crunch is telling us
about the quality of food,
specifically the high quality
of the food.
Yes. Or not – you know, we've
also had cases where we've bitten
into something that has a crunch and
found an eggshell in our scrambled eggs.
That's no good!
When we put food in our mouths,
we need to know it's safe.
A loud crunch means
this food is fresh and OK to eat.
The crunching sound gives us a ton
of information,
meaning a lot of information,
about the food's freshness.
Nobody likes biting into an apple which
is mushy, an adjective meaning soft,
because we understand that
that means it's bad to eat.
So, crunchy food sounds healthy,
feels good,
and tells our body it's safe to eat.
No wonder that when astronauts
on the International Space Station
were asked what they missed most,
crunchy food topped their list!
But apples and carrots
are one thing, Beth –
it's something else
to crunch down on insects, isn't it?
Well, not in some countries,
Georgie – Zimbabwe for one,
where celebrity chef Dulsie Mudekwa
uses the crunchy texture
of beetles, termites and locusts to
convince people to try insect protein
as a cheap alternative to meat.
And if you think
you could never eat insects,
listen as Dulsie explains how she
changed her mind to Ruth Alexander,
presenter of BBC World Service
programme, The Food Chain.
So, are you an insect convert then?
Now I am. I love them as small
snacks, just roasted with salt...
or what I did with most of them
is turn them into flours and meals,
so I make them into cakes, biscuits.
I grind them together
with chicken or beef
and then turn them
into beautiful sausages,
and then that's how I love them.
Ruth asked Dulsie
if she's an insect convert,
a person who has changed their ideas
or way of living,
and Dulsie replies, yes.
She didn't before, but now she loves
eating roast insects as snacks,
small bits of food you eat
between meals.
Hmm, they do sound crunchy...
but I think I'll stick
to apples thanks, Georgie.
Well, speaking of apples, it's time you
revealed the answer to your question.
Yes, I asked you which was
the most popular apple,
according to a survey
of people in the UK.
I said Pink Lady, didn't I?
You did and...
it was the correct answer.
Well done!
Yay! OK. Let's recap
the vocabulary we've learned,
starting with two positive phrases –
nothing better in the world,
which is used to emphasise
how much someone enjoys something,
and one of life's true pleasures,
which describes
a particular experience or activity
that someone finds enjoyable.
A ton of something means a lot
of something.
If you describe food as mushy, you mean
it's soft – the opposite of crunchy.
A convert is a person who has changed
their beliefs or way of living.
And finally, a snack is a small bit
of food you eat between meals –
for example,
crisps or a chocolate bar.
And once again,
our six minutes are up.
But if you're ready for more,
just head over to our website
bbclearningenglish.com
for a quiz and worksheet
for this programme.
See you there soon. Bye!
Bye!
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 15crunch
word
0:30
"the loud, sharp sound made when you bite into hard, fresh food."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Discover why we love the sound and texture of crunchy food and what science says about it in this 6 Minute English episode.