| insects as food
Insects have traditionally been rich source of protein, calories, vitamins and minerals in the Northern Thai diet. They are also prized as delicacies. In fact, it is unusual for me to find an insect which is not eaten in one form or another by local people. Among the most popular are: |
all about entomophogy
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cicadas, locusts, mantises, crickets and grasshoppers (deep fried) | ||||||||
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bamboobores . Again they are deep fried. In one Chaing Mai restaurant the menu describes them as "fried little white babies". mmmmm delicious! | ||||||||
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giant water bug -steamed, also ground into a paste with chilli and eaten with sticky rice | ||||||||
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weaver ants and their eggs (sticky rice is dipped into a mixture of ants, eggs and chilli) | ||||||||
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larvae which live in bamboos (barbecued) | ||||||||
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also: dung beetles (add a wholesome flavour to curries) pupae of silk moths and other moths and butterflies, wasps' and bees' larvae
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Sites with more info on edible insects:
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| termites are
grilled and their eggs are a delicacy used to make a delicious soup
(The termite has a strong claim to have made the greatest contribution of any insect to human civilization. Without it, the didgeridoo might never have been invented.)
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These tiny
beetles are kept in a jar with cracked rice (like popcorn) and honey.
Keeping a thriving colony is supposed to bring prosperity to the
household. Some people, however, also eat the beetles- live. As they've
lived on a diet of rice and honey they shouldn't taste too bad (the
beetles, that is) but I'm not sure whether KFC would be interested
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Thanks to Martin Hough for presenting me with these specimens |
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| bowl of silk moth pupae: first remove the pupae from their cocoons, then boil them till soft with a pinch of salt, finally sautee them lightly. Alternatively, try Delia Smith... |
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See also the articles on this website:
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tarantula spiders (grilled)
