Edible Insects

Hi Guys - does anyone know much about edible insects here in NZ? There are huhu grubs of course, & I am growing mealworms [see pic] - which are actually the larvae of a beetle.

I found some centipedes in my garden - & have just made email enquiries at the Zoo & the Museum......centipede below is about an inch long & more of a dark brown..

I am inspired by this scorpion below in aspic on pumpernickel!! - there is evidently a false scorpion in NZ, tho very small....

see "Extreme Cuisine" by Jerry Hopkins, available at the library.....& my website www.pavlovasdog.weebly.com for my research so far...cheers martin

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TohungaPermalink Reply by Te Hopo on November 16, 2010 at 13:25

Wow interesting.
I've eaten locusts and cicadas before that had been fried up in a little butter and salted.
They were very tasty, almost like a potato chip.

Wouldn't be keen to eat a centipede but those mealworms look alright and I'm a big fan of huhu grubs.

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AdminPermalink Reply by Ryan Johnson-Hunt on November 17, 2010 at 22:51

Scorpion on crackers, sounds interesting! In kenya we had flying ants that during one day of the year would swarm and drop their wings.

The locals would fry them up they were quite yum, like peanut butter sort o flavour

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NewbiePermalink Reply by Martin Adlington on November 18, 2010 at 9:28

I have a meeting on Friday with the head curator of entomology at the AK Museum - even he knows little about the edibility of NZ insects!..he is interested in having a discussion on the topic - will let bushcraft know the results.....martin

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AdminPermalink Reply by Ryan Johnson-Hunt on November 18, 2010 at 20:26

looking forward to hearing about it!

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ShrafterPermalink Reply by No. 6 on September 1, 2011 at 18:04

Haven't tried mealworms despite munching on various eclectic "delicacies", any idea where could I get them in NZ?

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TohungaPermalink Reply by Te Hopo on February 19, 2012 at 19:00

Had a great weekend two weeks back out in the bush with a bunch of friends and their kids.

Loads of cicadas around which the kids loved catching.

All of these kids are off farms or hippy communes and are used to natural foods so I showed them how to light a fire with the old firesteel and tinder, cooked a bunch of cicadas in a billy of oil till they were crispy and then sprinkled with salt.

Well by holding the wings, biting off the body and discarding the wings you had a little crispy ball of goodness that tasted just like the greasy fish you get from the local fish and chip shop.

Well between 8 kids they cleaned up an ice cream container full!