I ate a cricket

I lived in Mexico for a while and ate chapulines (grasshoppers) that were fried with some lime and chili on them and they were pretty dang good - but even the natives said that you never eat them raw because they can make you sick! We also ate raw chumiles (I'm gonna let you look that one up, don't even want to type it out and admit what they are) that were not so great. You'd put some black beans on a tortilla and throw down a little handful of chumiles and roll up the tortilla real quick before they could get out. You'd take a bite and "cap" the top of the tortilla with your finger so they wouldn't crawl out the top. They tasted like a blast of funky cinnamon. Not something I will ever do again but when somebody has you over for dinner and they can only afford to eat what they catch then you gotta be humble and suck it up and try not to choke on their crunchy little legs as they slide down your throat ;)
 
TheGame said:
I've had a lot of people try to get me to eat them, but they wouldn't themselves. I doubt I will try one just to try it, as it just doesn't sound that great. In a survival situation, though, mind over matter, I suppose.
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I knew a guy in J.H.S. that once ate a live Cicada ( Back in 86'-87'). There were a bunch of kids daring him. I think he actually made like $30 or $40.
 
30 or 40 year old cicadas are considered a delicacy, although I'm not sure how you tell how old they are. Cut them in half and count the rings?

I've eaten cicadas in SE Asia and they weren't bad. I was with the Hilltribe People (mostly the Yellow Lahu) and they would send out kids with long bamboo sticks wtih a smaller resin covered stick shoved into the end. The kids would listen for them and push the pole into the trees and come back with handfulls of cicadas in the cloth bags tied at their wastes. Weren't bad, and tasted much better than the banana slugs I also ate with them. I also ate grasshoppers, roaches, spiders, scorpions and other bugs I couldn't identify there.

Most bugs are fairly palatable once you get past the ick factor and once they're fried. I had them boiled in Africa and it was absolutely repulsive. They squirted out their contents into my mouth and nearly caused me to hurl. Fortunately I have an iron stomach.

As was advised before: remove any wings and legs as they can be choke hazards. Avoid insects that are slow, smelly, brightly colored or fuzzy/spiney. Some of them are edible, but it's easier to avoid grief by following those guidelines. Oh, and always cook the bugs, as was also mentioned. They can cary several nasties, including tape worms.

I find that they do well fried with a little oil, which makes them crunchy and more palatable. Grasshoppers were used by Native Americans in the South West as flour. Sun dry them, grind them into powder and mix that with a little water to make tortillas. If you mix it with a little real flour they stick together better. Very high in protein.
 
I forgot to mention that he threw up afterward, IIRC. And there was some dispute over the bet money :D
 
I am currently starting a cricket farm.I thought about using the ones around the house to start but have concerns of pesticide due to close to farm land. They are really good done up with a stir fry with onions garlic, and green peppers with a little oil, pepper, lemon and then wrapped up in a pita type bread. It is similar to a south african thing a friend showed me.
 
I ate a fly once , not by choice... hehe.


Seriously though , plus 100 on cooking a bug before you eat it , God only knows what that cricket/grasshopper/ant was crawling thru before you eat it ! :D

Tostig
 
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