10 Edible Insects

In certain case, people would eat almost anything in order to survive. Nowadays, people are getting smart to find alternative foods due to their curiosity, or simply feeling bored with the ordinary one. As the result, there are so many weird foods which are becoming edible and do no harms to our health, but still, sometimes, it can make you gag in disgust.  Here some of them, which are still in small numbers compares to what’s really out there;


1. Casu Marzu - Itally

Courtesy of Wikipedia

“cheese maggots”, it is originally a form of cheese, only it’s already mixed up with insect’s larvae. It can be found in Sardinia, Italy. It has been fermented so long that it is already rotten inside and attracting small bugs to lay their eggs and eventually turn into maggots, which are coming up through the cheese itself. It can be eaten with the maggots inside or, you can remove them first. Nowadays, Casu Marzu is no longer available in public, due some cases of allergies and un healthy side effects of it.

2. Ulat Sagu (Rhynchophorus ferruginenus) - Indonesia

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Regardless of how it looks like, Rhynchophorus ferruginenus is coconut red larvae and known as source of proteins and cholesterol free. It contains of 9, 34% of proteins, 1, 84% of aspartat acid, 2, 72% of glutamate acid, 1, 87% of tyrosin, 1, 97% of lysin, and 1, 075 methyonin.  This larva is commonly found in rotten palm trees which are easily found in the whole of Papua and have become a delicious food for their native people. It can be made many kinds of food, or it’s even can be eat in raw. This basically giant beetle grubs that live  inside the sago palms.

Read also "advantages of pepper for health" 

 

3. Grasshoppers – Indonesia

Courtesy of Wikipedia.org

In some countries, like Mexico, Indonesia, China, and Africa, these insects are considered as delicious food and as source of proteins and fat. In the Southern Mexico, chapulines it is being loved for its highly proteins, minerals, and vitamins. It is usually collected after sunset, and then soaked in water for about 24 hours and then eaten raw, or cooked with more ingredients, like garlic, shallots, red pepper, and a little bit of lemon squeezed. It made in to soups, or any other food additions. It is pretty familiar in there. In China, for example at night market in Donghuamen, grasshopper is served as kebab or satay. To some countries in the Africa, Uganda especially, grasshopper is one of the main food sources among many other insects. It becomes source of proteins, and fat, especially when times are rough. It usually boiled and made in to soup. In some countries in the Middle East, it is boiled with salt, and then dried up under the sun and eat as snacking.



4. Crickets - Indonesia

Courtesy of Commons.Wikimedia.org

Crickets ( Gryllidae) are insects that closely related to the grasshopper. It has flat body and long antenna. Even if they are insects, they eat almost everything and considered as omnivore. Known for its shrill sound which is made only by male crickets to attract the female and reject the other male crickets who tried to enter its territory. The sound is usually louder when the temperature is rising. It is now estimated more than 900 species of crickets around the world.

read also "11 options when you get bored with rice"

5. Laron (Termites) - Indonesia

Courtesy of Detik.com

It is a small, pale soft-bodied insect that lives in large colonies with several different castes, typically within a mound of cemented earth. Many kinds feed on wood and can be highly destructive to trees and timber. 

Courtesy of Wikipedia.org

While Laron, is termites which grow until it reaches certain adult age and have wings, these adult termites which are becoming edible in some countries, especially in Indonesia. They commonly available in rainy season, and caught after they out of their nest and fly for a while before they go back to the soil and continue to find their new nests and re grow.

6. Ulat Jati (Teac tree caterpillar) - Indonesia 

Courtesy of Jarangpanas.com

There are two types of these caterpillars, which are edible, they are; Teac trees caterpillar, and Saman (Albizia saman) trees. Both trees are homes for two kinds of edible caterpillars. They are black and hairy. When it comes to season, the trees have no more leaves because it all eaten by the caterpillars. 

Courtesy of Bangka.Tribunnews.com

Only the stem and branches are left behind. Both their caterpillars and cocoon are delicacy food. The caterpillars can be caught when they’re still on the leaves or on the ground when they starting their fasting to become cocoons. While the cocoons, can be easily found on the ground hidden beneath the rotten leaves.




7. Olan-olan - Indonesia

Courtesy of Jejaktapak.com

A big bug larva (mostly Scaraboidea) is edible, nonetheless also rich of proteins. It is not easy to find, though. It usually lives in the bottom of certain trees. It looks similar like caterpillar, but with no hair, its color is white and it’s very tender. This larva is known as pest that attacking cultivate plants of the farmer. It’s largely found in tropical countries, especially in South East Asia. 

8. Puthul – Indonesia

Courtesy of Kabarhandayani.com

It has black reddish color, easily found in rainy season in after dark time. It lives mostly in branches of certain trees, or in a rice field. It is one of many edible insects in the world, and also become source of proteins. 

Courtesy of pastvnews.com

Once you catch lots of them, soak them with hot water, so you can easily remove the wings, the part that is neither tasty nor easy to eat. After that, it is up to you what spices you are going to add.



 
9. Fried tarantulas - Cambodia

Courtesy of Instamedia.com

If you arachnophobia, you probably should not eat this extreme food. Yuph, these big giant hairy and seems sacry eensy weensy spider ( Haplopelma albostriatum) turns out as edible insects. This extreme food firstly found out during war in Cambodian by Khmer rouge.

10.  Snake and Scorpio Wine - Vietnam

Courtesy of Dailymail.uk

It is basically a bottle of wine with snake or scorpion inside. It is believed has medicinal purpose. It used to be found in Vietnam, but recently, it is already spread out to South East Asia and Southern China.

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