Wasp crackers are creating a buzz

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Sep 11th 2007 @ 2:02PM

I've heard of people eating ants, crickets, and even larvae, but wasps? Not until today.

In Omachi, Japan, a village 120 miles northwest of Tokyo, 80-year-old hunters catch digger wasps in nearby forests. The wasps are boiled, dried, then sprinkled over a cracker dough, which is cut with hot iron stamps to create the cracker shapes. The crackers are called jibachi senbei and are sold in packages of 20 for a mere £1.60.

Wonder if you can feel a sting.

Filed Under: Food Oddities, Ingredients, New Products
Tags: asia, crackers, grains, japan, oddities, wasps

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 4)

1-08-2009 @6:41AM joey said... yuck, I'll stick to the Japanese jellyfish cookies instead
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/jellyfish-cookies-from-japan/
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9-11-2007 @3:14PM deannadyer said... If the wasps weren't enough to scare away MY appetite, the dirty fingernails holding them are!!
eeewwwww!!!!
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9-11-2007 @4:22PM Columbus Foodie said... Not my cup of tea, but I hope they take out the stingers first, otherwise it could be a very painful experience eating them...
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9-11-2007 @5:30PM Stormwater BMP said... Now that we've brought WASPs and Crackers together, is the Civil War officially over?

http://www.filterra.com/stormwater-BMP
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9-11-2007 @6:11PM Matthew Hilario said... NANI?! baka desu! Wasp's Ahoy Cookies.
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9-11-2007 @11:41PM Suzana said... That could be, StormWater, that could be. Don't think I want to eat one of those, though.
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9-12-2007 @4:31AM Angela said... Looks pretty nasty to me; I'll have to pass!
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9-12-2007 @11:04AM jsmylie said... "A bag of 20 crackers costs £1.60, but output is limited as the wasps are caught in the wild for optimum flavour."

And what flavor is that, exactly? Hatred? PAIN? I reeeeally hope they de-sting these little bastards before they sell them...
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9-14-2007 @11:02AM orimental said... This is exactly why I don't touch Fig Newtons anymore. Even though the fig wasps are ground up in the figs, it still disgusts me.
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9-16-2007 @6:40AM dude said... Some of you will end up eating bugs of some sort... don't think you're immune to getting lost, cuz u just might eat ur words.
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9-16-2007 @6:59AM Ken Ammerman said... I have heard the FDA allows 5 percent "tolerable filth" in spices. Those cookies are beyond the limit !
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9-16-2007 @3:36PM pikeyfighter said... Nothing like a wasp 'n cookie treat for a school lunch. "What'll ya trade fer it, mate?"
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9-16-2007 @8:26AM Paul said... Now you know why they lost the war.
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9-16-2007 @9:21AM BeesScareMe said... EEW! I HATE Wasps! They're DISGUSTING!
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9-16-2007 @9:38AM dan said... what's next? sand sandwiches with a honey dip?
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9-16-2007 @10:07AM mitchell said... There are wasps in fig newtons?!?!
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9-16-2007 @10:12AM charles said... Why not ?
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9-16-2007 @10:42AM J Beals said... I guess if we were REALLY hungry it might look like lunch. REALLY, really hungry.
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9-16-2007 @10:44AM Alex said... Digger, or, Tunnel Wasps are large...similar in size to a hummingbird. Also known as Cicada killers, these wasps live independently of a colony. They paralyze a cicada, and bury it in a tunnel until it becomes time to feed their young with it...imagine being eaten alive?
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