An Appetite for Arthropods – Insect Feast in Thailand
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Although we in the West have an aversion to eating bugs, they’re a popular source of protein around the world and in Thailand they’re definitely on the snack menu.
In the pursuit of weird and wonderful foods, I’ve eaten sweet and sour Bat in Madagascar, grilled Guinea Pig in Ecuador, Horse stew in Italy, Sheep’s head in Tunisia and stuffed Spleen in Morocco but I’ve never had the chance to eat deep fried insects, until now. I got close to them once, in Madagascar, when we bought worms in the market, but the cat got them before we did. So imagine my joy in Thailand recently when I came across a stall piled high with thousands of creepy crawlies, both great and small, all ready to be dipped in soy sauce and dusted with salt.
On the menu were Crickets of various sizes, Grasshoppers, Bamboo Worms and their Larvae, Water Beetles and two inch long Stag Beetles. This was a challenge I couldn’t refuse. Not sure of which were the tastiest, I asked my Thai guide if it was possible to get a selection, a sort of insect Mezze, and was told that was no problem apart from the Stag Beetles which had to be broken up in Mortar and Pestle. A good thing really, as they looked like a bit more than I could bite off and chew.
So that’s how it came to pass that I ended up strolling through the night market in Khorat with a big bag of mixed crunchy bugs, sharing them with my friends and various locals who couldn’t believe that the Farang was actually going to put them in his mouth. Actually they were surprisingly tasty, and once I’d convinced myself that they were only a form of Pork Scratching with legs, there was no stopping me. The crunchy variety, Grasshoppers, Beetles and Crickets were unsurprisingly similar with the taste of salt and soy dominating. Best of all were the Worms with a silky texture, sweet and sour at the same time, with the Larvae not far behind.
In Britain we’re not short on Beetles, even Grasshoppers and I’m surprised that nobody, so far, has thought of setting up a stall in their local farmer’s market. After all these insects tick all the right boxes: free range, organic, pesticide free, regionally sourced and reared with high standards of welfare. I suppose it’s only a matter of time…
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