Sampling Thai delicacies: My experience with scorpions and larvae

Entomophagy, the practice of consuming insects, sparks significant controversy in Europe. However, in Thailand, these edible bugs are more than just a peculiar draw for tourists. In some areas, they are considered a primary food source. During my visit to Bangkok, I ventured to taste fried silkworms, crickets, scorpions, and centipedes. The taste did not hold any particular surprises.

According to the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF), an international entity advocating for the use of insects in the food industry and livestock feed, around 2000 species of edible insects exist worldwide. About 2 billion people in 80% of countries consume them. However, in Europe, eating bugs still triggers controversy and disgust. Is this fear justified?

In Southeast Asia, it's common to encounter stalls selling a variety of insects. Whether fried, dried, or fresh, these offerings primarily elicit curiosity among tourists who occasionally show revulsion. The tendency of tourists to only capture photos rather than try out the bugs has become irritating for vendors. Consequently, some have put up signs declaring a fee for photography. That is, after all, how business works.

In Bangkok, Thailand's capital, the street vendors offer many different varieties. Still, it is the silkworms, grasshoppers, and water bugs as well as various types of crickets that are considered delicacies.

I stopped by a small stall along the crowded and vibrant Yaowarat Road, famous for being one of the world's largest Chinatowns. An elderly woman ran the stall selling fried bugs that, as a beginner, I likened to worms. More imposing examples like centipedes and scorpions with splayed legs sparkled under the neon lights, skewered on sticks for eager buyers.

"Small ones for 50 baht, centipede on a stick for 100, and a scorpion for 150 baht," these were the only details I managed to get from the vendor.

My bug dinner, a cup of mixed fried bugs including a scorpion and a centipede, came to 300 Thai Baht (THB), approximately $9. Considering the cost of other food options at Bangkok street stalls, this is considerably high. With 300 baht, I could comfortably afford five servings of chicken with rice or six young coconuts replete with coconut water. This makes such a feast more fitting for a tourist than the average Thai resident.

While not universally practiced, many Thai residents do consume a wide variety of insects. The northeastern region, the country's poorest part, especially regards insects and their larvae as a delicacy. The interest in regional products means that bugs are available throughout Thailand.

True, hygiene standards in Southeast Asia often diverge from those in the West. However, consuming bugs is no less safe than partaking of noodles from a street stall. Furthermore, experts vouch that bugs are nutritious, brimming with protein, fats, sugars, and vitamins B and K. Moreover, insect meat, unable to survive exposure to chemicals, is remarkably free from harmful substances.

Bugs certainly don't taste like chicken, fish, or shrimp, at least in my experience. Like tofu, most bugs have a neutral flavor and take on the taste of the spices and sauces they're served with. All the bugs I purchased were deep-fried, a serving method that allowed them to absorb the soy sauce and a spice mixture sprinkled over them by the vendor.

The long white worms, potentially bamboo worms, were crispy and hollow inside, their taste mostly attributable to the accompanying soy sauce. Similarly, the plumper silkworms offered a crunchy shell and a slightly creamier core — also mostly infused with the taste of the sauce and spices. Though not unpleasant, nothing about them stood out.

My mix contained fried grasshoppers and crickets — their legs and wings were somewhat unsettling. I ate them quickly, closing my eyes in a futile attempt to disengage from the experience. The taste again was primarily soy sauce, sweet, and spicy. The texture was harder, reminiscent of crunching through sunflower seed shells.

The skewered centipede was next. It had a substantial amount of meat, flaky and reminiscent of overcooked chicken breast, but the predominant flavor was the sweet and salty spices, akin to barbecue sauce.

The scorpion, purported to taste like raw shrimp according to online sources, did not confirm or deny my expectations (as I am unfamiliar with the taste of raw shrimp). The meat's gray color and noticeable bitterness was more akin to chicken liver. The shell was crunchy, similar to a sunflower seed’s shell. Though I didn’t sample the stinger, I read that it supposedly loses its poisonous properties after proper preparation.

Before my experience, I feared that the bugs would be chewy, grainy, or would unexpectedly "pop" when bitten. Instead, I was greeted with a delicately spiced, crunchy treat. They were not unpleasant but did not offer anything extraordinary either. Though my curiosity has been satisfied, I doubt I would choose them again. And so, my adventure with fried bugs came to an end.