"ants" news and stories

We talked about chocolate-covered ants once before, but when we did, I got the impression that we were considering the tiny little guys that crawl around the patio and that end up in movies, not the so-called big-butt queen ants that are making an entry onto the gourmet foods market. "The first loud crackle tastes and feels like popcorn, but by the time the juices spray wildly in your mouth and the filament-like legs slide down your throat, there's no mistaking this toasted ant queen."

Filament-like legs? Spraying juices? Thanks - but no thanks.

These insects, called hormiga culona, are popular in Colombia, where they are gathered, and thought to have medicinal properties, including acting as an aphrodisiac and as a defense against cancer. There, they are often toasted and salted, though restaurants in the area they are harvested offer ant-spreads and ant-based sauces for their dishes. They are often given away, as the ants are not only a traditional food, but a part of the culture.

Source

Ants are a reality of any picnic, as all hard-core summer picnickers know.

Can we beat them? Honestly, no.

So we may as well join them ... or at least, have them join us. Chef Jacques Martine offers a recipe for chocolate covered ants at chefdepot. Strictly for gourmands, his recipe demands real vanilla bean from Madagascar and is full of helpful hints. My favorite tips:

• "avoid red ants -- they're too spicy"
• "Take care not to smash [the ants]. They stay more flavorful and retain extra moisture if intact."
• "these make great dessert garnishes!"

Will chocolate-covered ants ward off real ants at your picnic? Find out for yourself.

Yesterday's New York Times featured a great account of eating a variety of insects in Thailand's Ubon province. Jennifer Gampell writes about tackling crunchy, salty fried scorpions (right), as well as grasshoppers and crickets. She passes on the large water beetles, but apparently takes a liking to a type of fly, fried with lemongrass and served in a spicy salad of chili and green papaya. Meals like this are abundant at roadside stalls in Ubon, Gampell says. The details of exactly what and where she ate are a little cloudy, however, since English names and locations seem, at times, hard to come by.