Wednesday 15th August 2012.
Fried spider is a regional delicacy in the town of Skuon 75km along the main road north west of Phnom Penh. The spiders are bred in holes in the ground, or foraged for in nearby forestland, and fried in oil. It is not clear how this practice started, but some have suggested that the population might have started eating spiders out of desperation during the years of Khmer Rouge rule, when food was in short supply.
Just in case you have been dozing as you come into Skuon, you are given a not-so-subtle reminder that this is the home of the fried spider.
The spiders are a species of tarantula Haplopelma albostriatum, also known as the Thai zebra tarantula. The spider’s common name has been the "edible spider" for more than a hundred years, but the popularity of the dish is a recent phenomenon, starting perhaps as late as the 1990s.
The taste has been described as bland, "rather like a cross between chicken and cod, with a contrast in texture from a crispy exterior to a soft centre. The legs contain little flesh, while the head and body have "a delicate white meat inside". There are certainly those who might not enjoy the abdomen, however, as it contains a brown paste consisting of organs, possibly eggs, and excrement. Some call it a delicacy while others recommend not eating it. (Above information from my friend Wikipedia.)
This little girl, who told me she was 13, was very keen for me to try some spider.
I am normally quite adventurous about new foods, and while they were made to look as appetising as it’s possible to make a spider look, I surprised myself by finding that I was not the least bit hungry.
There was even a variety of other insects, which may or may not have included grasshoppers, worms and scorpions.
These looked very much like cockroaches.
However, the little girl was quite delightful (and a good little spruiker)……
….. so I bought some bananas from her.
Our guide said he was eating a beetle, but it looked like a giant cockroach to me.
This is a very blurry picture, taken from the bus window, as many of my pictures are, but it's the best one I have to show how some of these insects are caught.
A pit is dug in the ground, and filled with water, and a large piece of plastic is suspended over the pit. At night, a light is placed near the plastic. The insects are attracted to the light, crash into the plastic and fall into the water, from where, apparently, they can't get out.
Then, in the morning, it's someone's job to go and gather the insects out of the water.
All I can say is, I'm glad my parents weren't insect farmers.
Fried spider is a regional delicacy in the town of Skuon 75km along the main road north west of Phnom Penh. The spiders are bred in holes in the ground, or foraged for in nearby forestland, and fried in oil. It is not clear how this practice started, but some have suggested that the population might have started eating spiders out of desperation during the years of Khmer Rouge rule, when food was in short supply.
Just in case you have been dozing as you come into Skuon, you are given a not-so-subtle reminder that this is the home of the fried spider.
The spiders are a species of tarantula Haplopelma albostriatum, also known as the Thai zebra tarantula. The spider’s common name has been the "edible spider" for more than a hundred years, but the popularity of the dish is a recent phenomenon, starting perhaps as late as the 1990s.
The taste has been described as bland, "rather like a cross between chicken and cod, with a contrast in texture from a crispy exterior to a soft centre. The legs contain little flesh, while the head and body have "a delicate white meat inside". There are certainly those who might not enjoy the abdomen, however, as it contains a brown paste consisting of organs, possibly eggs, and excrement. Some call it a delicacy while others recommend not eating it. (Above information from my friend Wikipedia.)
This little girl, who told me she was 13, was very keen for me to try some spider.
I am normally quite adventurous about new foods, and while they were made to look as appetising as it’s possible to make a spider look, I surprised myself by finding that I was not the least bit hungry.
There was even a variety of other insects, which may or may not have included grasshoppers, worms and scorpions.
These looked very much like cockroaches.
However, the little girl was quite delightful (and a good little spruiker)……
….. so I bought some bananas from her.
Our guide said he was eating a beetle, but it looked like a giant cockroach to me.
This is a very blurry picture, taken from the bus window, as many of my pictures are, but it's the best one I have to show how some of these insects are caught.
A pit is dug in the ground, and filled with water, and a large piece of plastic is suspended over the pit. At night, a light is placed near the plastic. The insects are attracted to the light, crash into the plastic and fall into the water, from where, apparently, they can't get out.
Then, in the morning, it's someone's job to go and gather the insects out of the water.
All I can say is, I'm glad my parents weren't insect farmers.
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