Hamburgers, pizza, chicken, spaghetti, tacos—these are things average American families eat frequently for dinner. We branch out occasionally with creative recipes, trying a new dish here and there, but for the most part our dinners contain pasta, rice, meat, bread and vegetables. In other countries however, their dinners go to the extreme wild side by adding in—yep, you guessed it—BUGS! Imagine instead of fried rice with your lo mein you had fried larvae. Or maybe instead of linguine you had worms in a savory sauce. Imagine the reaction on the faces of your children! “It’s cheesy beetle casserole kids! Eat up!” The reactions would be less than pleased. But in other parts of the world, adding a handful of beetles to the meal is as normal as adding croutons to your salad. Below are several delectable dishes filled with unusual bugs of all kinds:
Fried Bees in China
If you found a huge nest of bees in your yard, you’d be immediately calling Green Pest Services to remove that thing. But in Yunnan China, locals scout out beehives, trap the bees and bring them back to serve as a unique treat. Being “naturally sweet and tasty,” this dish is a huge hit when fried with a little salt.
Edible Dormouse in Slovakia
This little mouse was once eaten as a snack by the ancient Romans but today is still eaten in Slovakia as a rare delicacy. It is part of an ethnic tradition where various trapping methods are used to capture this chubby little mouse. Then it is skinned and grilled or fried to be enjoyed by all.
Fried Spiders in Cambodia
During the heinous reign on Pol Pot, Cambodians were being starved and thus resorted to eating anything, including spiders. After his reign, these people decided they enjoyed this arachnid and today you can still find them in food stalls. These aren’t just little house spiders. No, they are massive, hand sized, juicy, fried spiders! Would you be brave enough to take a bite?
Witchetty Grubs in Australia
The aborigines in Australia are obsessed with the witchetty grub and it is a glorious occasion if you happen upon a sighting. These gigantic grubs are dug out of the witchetty tree and the aborigine people have a keen eye on how to find them. They are massive grubs, about the size of your middle finger and taste like scrambled eggs. Maybe you could trick your kids one day and serve these grubs up for breakfast!
As Americans, we don’t like pests in our homes and calling Green Pest Services to get rid of them is definitely the best plan of attack if you want guaranteed pest removal. Even though we don’t want to live with pests, maybe we need to have a more open mind when it comes to our cuisine and add some more of nature’s tasty delights to our dinner dishes. The rest of the world does, maybe it’s time we follow suit!