Bugs

[mewolf1]

Anybody out there try eating bugs, and how were they? Tolerable?
I'm not looking for links on the web and I can google books like anyone else so what are your experiences? Hoppers , moths and angle worms is all I have on my list so far.

 

[longbow50]

Take care eating moths, some are supposed to be toxic, but I got no clue as to which ones.

I've eaten grubs, hoppers and bees. Large spiders are next on my list, but want to research so I don't kill myself.

 

[m_calingo]

Some time ago I saw a program where natives living in the Amazon rain forest caught and ate tarantulas large enough to cover a dinner plate.

After catching the spider, they'd secure the legs behind the back of the spider to immobilize it. They would then wrap the spider in a banana leaf and toss it into a fire. The fire is important as it singes off the protective layer of irritating hairs covering the bodies of tarantulas.

Every part of the tarantula is eaten, with the exception of the two fangs tarantulas use to inject poison into their victims. Those are used as makeshift toothpicks after the meal.

Tarantulas reportedly taste similar to shrimp.

 

[mewolf1]

Take care eating moths, some are supposed to be toxic, but I got no clue as to which ones.

I've eaten grubs, hoppers and bees. Large spiders are next on my list, but want to research so I don't kill myself.

Which grubs, the big white ones ya find in rotten logs?

 

[longbow50]

Yep. I saw a bear eating them and I read later on that the grubs were an important source of nutrients for the bear, so I decided to try them. They taste like chicken!:thumbdn: Actually, they were a bit bitter, so I added them to water and heated them, along with some spices and wild greens. They still didn't taste very good, but I didn't :barf: and that's a good thing.

 

[TOMBSTONE]

I've eaten common moths raw.They really didn't taste like much.I've heard you have to be careful with parasites when you don't cook some types of insects.

 

[deserthawk]

i can vouch that ants are good (kinda peppery) and grasshopers are good. do a search over at http://www.survival.com/IVB
for some entertaining stories on bugs as dinner...

dhawk

 

[pict]

I have eaten grasshoppers and ants, neither was offensive but it's hard to make a meal out of them.

I recently saw a program on TV here in which a guy was roasting grubs by a fire. He said they tasted like bacon and wern't bad at all. I imagine it depends on the type of grub.

There is a type of huge, wasp-sized ant here that they harvest for food. The last body section is very large. The locals snap off that last body section and fry them up with scrambled eggs and toasted manioc flour. When I was building my house I had a colony of them on the property and the workers pointed them out to me. The problem is that eating them is considered a "low class" or "hick" thing to do and nobody wants to admit that they do it, only that "other people" eat them. It is very hard to get someone to teach you how to eat bugs here because of the social stygma.

I have started carrying stainless steel wire specifically fro roasting grubs the next time I get the chance. Where I do my thing there are loads of grasshoppers and I plan to give them a second try next time I can catch a few. Mac

 

[Codger_64]

In a previous thread I mentioned a swamp survival course I took. Grubs, snails, minnows, and other creepy crawlies were a mainstay of my diet for a week. All are high in protien. And yes, cooking most is recommended. The white beetle grubs and hoppers were best. Sometimes I made a stew of my day's find, rather than using each variety as an individual course. Adding a few wild seeds, berries, some chopped roots etc. and boiling for a few minutes in a canvas "bag". Bark would work as well. A snake or small bird was a welcome addition to the meal, usually roasted on a green stick. I actually gained weight on this diet, mostly because I didn't hesitate to start gathering and consuming, rather than waiting until I was having the second hunger pains. Earthworms are another good source of protien. Drop them in water and let them clean themselves out firs, usually a few hours. Unless they are big enough to split open and wash. I don't recommend eating anything dead, though. You can eat some putrid meat after a thourough washing and cooking, but it is playing Russian roulette, and a long way from a stomach pump!

 

[Mongo-man]

Ants should have lot's of protein in it. You need to grind a lot of them to pulp and then boil the paste. Then you can add the high protein sludge to water or soup.