Tasty insects
July 6th, 2007Ishtar gave me the idea of doing a blog post on edible insects.
Ants
The very first insects I ate. According to my mom, I became very adept at hiding them from her, tossing them into my mouth when she wasn’t looking. I can’t remember how they tasted but they must have been good — I hope…
Crickets
I almost tried these once back when I was little and loved to eat every creeping thing. My mom slapped the poor insect out of my hand — the way she did when I attempted to eat a cockroach (if you’ve ever eaten a roach, I’m still curious as to how they taste). I heard they’re good though.
Grasshoppers
As the house captain in secondary school, I got a lot of presents from parents and their kids alike. I really think it was during this period I ate the greatest variety of food. Roasted grasshoppers were crisp, but that was that. Most of the taste came from the sauce I had them with.
Grubs
Larvae of some insect (don’t ask me which) found in rotting palm tree logs. On a tastiness scale of 10, I’d give them a 12. If you haven’t seen them before, they’re what Timon of Lion King fame relishes, and no, you won’t have to spit them out like Pumbaa does.
They’re found mainly in the South (at least I didn’t see them when I was up North) and very popular in the Niger Delta. People traveling a lot by road have probably come across brown ‘things’ on sticks sold by the hawkers chanting ‘edible.’ I guess most people decide not to try it when they discover ‘edible’ means ‘edible maggots.’ They’re not maggots…
Locusts
The insect that inspired this post.
I still don’t know how to differentiate between locusts and grasshoppers, but if you asked me, my answer would be along the lines of ‘locusts taste better’ — especially with palm oil and pepper. I’d give them up only for termites or grubs.
Termites
I ate a handful of these only once when I was hungry in secondary school. A friend of mine had a bag of roasted termites. On the tastiness scale, I’ll put them right behind grubs. They’re simply awesome and crunchy.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had any opportunity since then. The same friend ate them raw when it was time for them to swarm. According to him, they were just as tasty, but I couldn’t be persuaded to try stripping the wings off one and throwing the wriggling, very-much-alive ‘mite into my mouth.
What insects have you eaten?
July 6th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
azuka
so u are one of those people ready to put anything in ur mouth eh? fortunatly u have helped settle a debate between HE and i.
he doesnt believe that some people eat grasshoppers(and that in school, i ate the termites with garri).
July 7th, 2007 at 5:40 am
weird weird stuff, my friend…simply weird..lol!
July 7th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Well… (arranging thoughts) The grubs HAVE to be the most em… HORRIFIC (definitely no offence intended) thing on the insect menu for me. Give me camel meat anytime! (jk)
My mum ate some peppered grasshoppers a few days ago.
July 8th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Azuka!! repeat after me “I AM WEIRD, I AM VERY WEIRD!!” lol, on the real, ur joking right? You didnt actually eat insects?
July 8th, 2007 at 12:25 am
Grubs have got to be the most repulsive item on there. Eeewwww!! I wouldn’t ever think about putting such a slimy creamy type chewy insect in my mouth. I can almost depict the whole thing *shrugs*
i have eaten termites though. Salt and season them , roast them or fry them are u’re good… you can even saute some onions and pepper and combine the whole thing, lol. I know some people reading this comment are gonna be weirded out, lol
July 8th, 2007 at 12:27 am
lolllll, i just saw the part where you said grubs are not maggots … they sure look like them tho …
July 8th, 2007 at 1:52 am
Hey, bro. Every rainy season back home meant there’d be a fresh supply of winged termites. Used to fry it with maggie sauce. Hmmm…. Swanky crunchiness!! I’ve also had grubs when I worked on my old man’s farm. Highly nutritious. I guess when hunger strikes, you’ll eat If anything, including (and you know what I mean Azuka!) Vegetarian.
ps: bro, not really familiar with Natalie Cole’s music. Just sample some of her stuff via Itunes.
July 8th, 2007 at 9:50 am
A big thumbs up for Grubs! Yeah!! They are lovely!! I first saw them when I was about 10 in my mothers kitchen and her intention was to cook them in a pot of stew. I admit I was apprehensive at first getting them past my lips but once they got past GO, it was delicious eating all the way!! Yummy, very, very yummy grubs are.
I love termites too. Got introduced to them in boarding house and my adage is when in rome….. So when other boarders caught them at night and fried, I must admit it tasted good and when during the holidays they came flying around our home again, I didnt hesitate in keeping a huge basin of water where the lights were so they could fall into it and a very nice snack it was. Double yummy! LOL!!
About the Grasshoppers and the Crickets, I’m sure I’ve caught either one of them and eaten them as well but the thing is, I really couldnt for the life of me differentiate between the two of them so dont know which one I ate and which one I didnt eat. We just caught the insects and if the help said they were edible, ate them (after roasting of course)and if they werent edible (according to the help) let them go.
Ants - No f…king way!!
Locusts - Never been around where I lived. Arent they horrible insects that eat ur crops and cause a famine? LOL!!
Thats my piece on tasty insects. LOL!!
July 8th, 2007 at 10:04 am
At first I thought “Yuck!!” then I remembered that when I was in boarding school some girls caught and “roasted” some insects which I ate. I believe they were locusts.
The memories you suppress..
July 8th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Femme
There are some things I find tasty that a lot of people do not — e.g. mango leaves. Not that I eat them in front of other people!
Ugo
Cmon, which ones have you eaten?
SimplyCider
Have you tried them even once? Just give them a try…
Biodun
Don’t tell me you’re one of those who’ve been missing out all this while?
Jem
Just keep the thought of maggots out of your head and you should be able to get them in.
Aworan
Great. I need to tell my people to get some ‘insects’ ready for when I go back in December.
Calabar Gal
Yay! A true insect lover — like me.
inmyheadandaroundme
You have been found guilty and are hereby sentenced to two bowls of termites.
July 8th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
*Xcuse me while I go puke*
Eww!
Azuka, this post had me shrieking and shivering. You ate ants? Wait, that’s not even half as bad as eating grubs. Yuck!!
I ate termites when I was lil. They tasted good - or so I thought. Now, you won’t pay me 2 eat those things. Yuck!!
Grubs r maggots (sp?). Ewwwww!!! You shuld see me shivering out of disgust. Yuck!!! Gross!!
July 8th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Hello Azuka and others,
Wanted to tell you: though it’s lonely doing this “job,” I do operate a small business here in the U.S. devoted to entomophagy, which is the fancy term for the consumption of insects [which as we all know, most of the wrold has no problem with]. I’ve eaten about 25 kinds myself, including just about everything you have featured in your post…
The grubs are beetle, specifically weevil, particularly the large species in the genus Rhynchophorus. I tried one once in Florida — not long ago; they’re native to the southernmost part where it’s a bit more tropical and humid. Absolutely delicious and I wish I could have gotten a lot more!!
Crickets and grasshoppers I’m very fond of; I harvest them myself and buy them live from pet stores and turn them into human food. Ants I’ve had too, and many others, including scorpion, caterpillar [mopane worm too], etc.
Here’s where I am:
http://www.slshrimp.com
http://bugsfordinner.blogspot.com/
I love receiving packages of edible bugs from around this country and from other parts of the world. I’m always looking for reliable business partners!
July 8th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
you see, u now have customer to sell u your own finger food. when u say u eat mango leaves,do u mean raw?
July 9th, 2007 at 2:49 am
Urghhhh! Goodness! Azuka! Urghhh!
July 9th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Considering the fact that I hate insects, this has to be one of the most disgusting posts I’ve ever read. My stomach is heaving. Heaving I tell you, heaving.
My aunt had the grubs in her fridge one time and i picked one up thinking it was suya. I bit into it and spat it out almost immediately as the texture was odd. I retched when I looked at it and nearly threw up when i realised what it was. DISGUSTING!!!
July 9th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Yea, i know grubs and termites are quite edible. Lots of peeps around me eat them. U wont get me to put those things in my mouth even to save my life.I wont!
Btw, i hear cockroaches are poisonous.
July 9th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Gulp!! no comment.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:36 am
You’d be an amazing contestant on ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’ because the tasks they struggle with are always the ones where they have to eat insects.
Hmm, I’ve only had termites - they’re the ones called shinge right. And in the rainy season, they would fly around and we would catch them, take off the wings, fry them and eat them. I don’t know if I could now though. I remember my mum couldn’t understand for the life of her how we could eat them.
July 10th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Yeah, I have eating some of dem bugs before…taste yummy. Now bite me!
July 10th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Mercy
I’m like WHAT
but then again before i cast the stone at you
i must admit that i did eat termites while in abeokuta
only we didn’t call them termites
we called them esun esun and we ripped off the wings just like Vickii said and fried them
but I’m not sharing that information with ANYONE anytime soon
out of curiousity are these the same termites that get into wood
July 11th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Chineke..i will never eat any insect intentionally
July 12th, 2007 at 3:54 am
Azuka, if you’ve really eaten all that, then i think you can eat anything.
July 12th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
ive been stalking ur blog. update already!
July 12th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
I kno I’m not in any position to make demands but … Dude! It’s been a week now! Update
July 13th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Weird- I’ve eaten the maggot things in the Delta and termites in the South East
July 14th, 2007 at 8:39 am
ewww! wow
thats all i have to say
July 15th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
an american would call you weird, but i’d get a similar response from one as to caviar….. thus, i’d call you old school……
July 16th, 2007 at 2:35 am
Vera
Now who’s the scaredy cat?
Dave
Thanks for dropping by. Yeah, too many people come to conclusions before even trying any out.
Femme
Yes, raw. It’s not like I gather a bunch of them and eat or something — every time I walk under a mango tree I pull off one or two.
Ejura
Et tu? You’re scared?
Noni
Haba. Well, I’m not so fond of insects when they’re alive either.
Princess
The cockroach reference was just a joke. There’s no way I’d try them even now. Ewww…
Mochafella
Is that the sound of you swallowing a mouthful of crisp grubs?
Vickii
Yeah, shinge. Absolutely ‘fantabulous.’
Nigerian Politricks
That’s great to hear. I’m sure a lot of people will begin to rush them after some self-styled guru advertises on TV about how nutritious they are.
Kafo
Yeah, I think they’re the same — although curiously, I haven’t been bitten by any of the winged ones.
Ijeoma
Hmmm. What if I said insects’ bodies are made of the same material as crayfish?
Oracle
Oh, there’re some things I still don’t like.
Femme, Noni
On my way. I should post in the next five minutes.
Oj
I’m sure you loved them
CNG
Are you sure you don’t want a bowl or two of termites?
Nikita
Well, it depends on the perspectives. I’ve eaten nothing but fish eggs once and they were fantastic. I’m not sure I’ve had what you’d call ‘caviar’ yet though…
July 16th, 2007 at 6:04 am
azuka was interesting eating habit you got there. I too Im sort of a fan of insects..lol.
July 16th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Lovely blog. Keep up the gud wuk!
Cheers!
July 17th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
AZUKA!!!!
dang. eww. puke!
July 18th, 2007 at 9:56 am
u are so WEIRD….. cant believe you ate all those creepy insects
July 19th, 2007 at 10:10 am
That is some weird stuff Azus!
July 23rd, 2007 at 2:41 am
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Gross! DIsgusting!
July 23rd, 2007 at 1:06 pm
CG is my sister so anything she eats I eat.
July 25th, 2007 at 2:39 am
some of us have been waiting for u o
July 27th, 2007 at 11:37 am
interesting…
I ve tried on some night bettele.. dont know their prooper names… attracted by bright light… they r quite fatty and pure delight to the senses…
I spent too many Christmas holidays in the village…
believe me man.. u dont want to do the roach… they even smell like shit…
July 30th, 2007 at 12:23 am
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July 30th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Guess what???
I have eaten GRUBS before…he he he….on a tastiness scale I give them 15…oh my gosh, if you guys haven’t tried them you need to try them! Co-incidentally, I was talking about them to some friends the day before yesterday…lollll…
July 31st, 2007 at 7:55 am
i used to love crickets…..delicious…..
hehe
August 11th, 2007 at 7:27 am
I love termites,they were always very tastily prepared in the village,the trick is not to look at them though my brothers did!
September 13th, 2007 at 11:07 am
i love grubs too. and they’re called ‘edibo’ not edible lol. they are called ‘odon’ in urhobo and eaten with ‘kpokpogari’. lmfao!
b4 i saw the grubs i was going to say u are so gross.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Azuka
It’s so nice you’re keeping it real. I attended boarding school in the Western part of Nigeria (F.G.C. Odogbolu to be precise) and yes those insects (can’t remember the specie name) did swarm down during the rainy period.
Of course, i did try them and dey seemed like a delicacy then….but what didnt we don back then as young people! I would puke if anyone ever tried that near me again! lololololol
Big up jare
February 27th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I have eaten Edible Worms and I love them - call them what you like I will always love - i am from the Delta region of Nigeria - and know where they come from and how they are prepared - I often close the day’s business for the vendor as i have to buy the whole lot…… of course you have to share - i have been know to suffer over eating stomachaches but this still does not and will not stop me. My mouth is watering at the thought of them now……
June 30th, 2008 at 5:30 am
Men,
Is like u really need to taste the cockroach so as to complete your insect profile.
I’ll like to know just how it taste.