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nomnomnoms Mar 2, 2013 10:42 PM

Have you ever eaten bugs... On purpose?

Not like "there was a worm in my salad!" but like "I've had sauteed silkworms".

When I was a kid, my aunt took me to a secluded mountain resort where they specialized in "mountain food"... The menu included various wild plants, boar dishes, as well as candied locusts. I could only bring myself to eat the legs...

Another bug dish: at a different resort, we were served fresh honeycomb with a yellow jacket in it. The yellow jacket is suppose to release a toxin that's good for you, or something like that.

What kind of bugs have you ingested intentionally?
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›22 Replies . Latest Mar 4, 2013 by pinehurst
  1. pinehurst Mar 4, 2013 07:09 AM

    Apart from lobster etc (ala Khan's post), no.
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    1. monkeyrotica Mar 4, 2013 06:40 AM

      Cricket burger at the old Insect Club in DC. No legs, mixed with a soy patty. They tasted like pork rinds.

      Never got around to the mealworm pasta.
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      1. drongo Mar 3, 2013 02:03 PM

        I grew up in Africa.. and mopane worms (actually caterpillars) were a delicacy: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style...
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        1. RealMenJulienne Mar 3, 2013 12:57 PM

          Yes, fried grasshoppers, mealworms and scorpions. They all had a flavor and texture similar to that of popcorn husks.
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          1. DiningDiva Mar 3, 2013 12:19 PM

            Yes

            Chapulines...fried crickets, they're pretty much crispy critters

            Guasanos de maguey...maguey plant worms, tasted like salmon jerky

            Escamoles...ant eggs, savory and delicious
            ›1 Reply
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            1. re: DiningDiva
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               Steve Mar 3, 2013 05:59 PM

              Oh yeah, I forgot about an ant egg omelet I had at a Lao meal. If I didn't know the eggs were in there, I might not be able to tell except for a kind of salty flavor that would be otherwise hard to pinpoint, but I have to say it tasted real good.
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            2. s
               Steve Mar 3, 2013 12:15 PM

              I had a pot of chrysalis in a Korean restaurant. They were in a thin, brown spicy liquid. Very delicious and earthy, not far from the taste of escargot.

              I've also had grasshopper tacos. The grasshoppers were fried crispy and crunchy. Mostly I tasted the oil it was fried in and they were very salty, so it was no big deal.
               
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              1. Perilagu Khan Mar 3, 2013 08:53 AM

                Yes. I've eaten shellfish.
                ›2 Replies
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                1. re: Perilagu Khan
                  Chemicalkinetics Mar 3, 2013 09:01 AM

                  I suppose that shrimps and crabs are kind of close to insects -- being in the Phylum Arthropod.
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                  1. re: Perilagu Khan
                    nomnomnoms Mar 3, 2013 10:34 AM

                    when I was in a evolutionary ecology class in college, we referred to crustaceans as "sea cockroaches". so i guess that's spot on.

                    what i want to know are the exotic bug dishes the adventurous chowhounds have had.
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                  2. p
                     PhilipS Mar 3, 2013 07:55 AM

                    Yep - had ants once and also eaten BBQ'd worms.

                    The legs of the ants (they were giant ones) got stuck between my teeth.
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                    1. re: PhilipS
                      nomnomnoms Mar 3, 2013 10:36 AM

                      do they have a twiggy texture, much like deep fried shrimp tail/legs?
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                      1. re: nomnomnoms
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                         PhilipS Mar 4, 2013 05:31 AM

                        The legs were certainly like the legs of deep fried shrimp.

                        I have also eaten the worm in the Tequila bottle. It was a bet.
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                        1. re: PhilipS
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                           Steve Mar 4, 2013 06:27 AM

                          Did you lose the bet or win the bet? And did you like it?
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                          1. re: Steve
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                             PhilipS Mar 4, 2013 07:08 AM

                            Well I think I won the bet - I came out with more money in my pocket.

                            Can't say I liked it enough to do it again, certainly not without some financial incentive. I did chew as well, just to show I was well 'ard!
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                       INDIANRIVERFL Mar 3, 2013 07:50 AM

                      In every can of vegetables. Read the FDA allowable contaniments.
                      ›1 Reply
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                      1. re: INDIANRIVERFL
                        nomnomnoms Mar 3, 2013 10:37 AM

                        well, i hope you don't open a can of beans thinking "gotta get my daily allowance of fly wings!"
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                      2. hambone Mar 3, 2013 07:42 AM

                        grass hoppers -- they were battered
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                           pine time Mar 3, 2013 07:36 AM

                          High school biology class: french-fried butterflies, crickets and chocolate covered ants (tasted like the old Nestle Crunch).

                          Nowadays, parents would probably storm the school, saying their children were being poisoned by the biology teacher!
                          ›1 Reply
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                          1. re: pine time
                            nomnomnoms Mar 3, 2013 10:36 AM

                            i hear about chocolate covered ants a lot... nestle crunch, eh!

                            when i went to science camp, the camp counselor had us eat these ants that were vinegar filled, and then kiss a banana slug. i agree, nowadays parents would probably flip out...
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                          2. Chemicalkinetics Mar 3, 2013 02:02 AM

                            Intentionally? None..... Oh, maybe there were the insect shell of the cicada. Not the intact cicada, just the shell. I had to drink the soup from them. A lot of them.

                            http://gwzft.en.alibaba.com/product/3...

                            I have eaten many other insect unintentionally, but cicada shell is the only one which I had to eat over and over again for about more than 1 week.
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                            1. j
                               janniecooks Mar 3, 2013 12:35 AM

                              http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/482721
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