They are about an inch long, certainly crunchy, and can come in a variety of flavors. Some are honey roasted; though, the ones I had were salty and had a nice smoked flavor to them.
Yes, a colleague of mine has just returned from Colombia and brought with him a bag of roasted hormigas culonas; which for all ya’ll that don’t speak Spanish is Big-Arsed Ants. They are a leaf-cutter ant, and though the wings were either lost in roast or to fragile to make the flight over, live ones fly. The head and thoracic cage are quite crunchy and salty; the abdomen is nougaty, not in taste but texture.
For a breakdown of their nutritive value:
| The Ant | Beef | Chicken | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 20.40% | 21.5% | |
| Thiamine | 1.1% mg. | 0.8% mg. | |
| Riboflavin | 0.6% mg. | 1.16% mg. | |
| Niacin | 4.60% mg. | 5.1% mg. |
The Spanish account here is much more informative, but you guys don’t read Spanish.
The picture section also shows the ants in preparation. Big-arsed ants are one of the culinary staples of the Guane people of Colombia. All I can say is what my Texas Grandpa used to say:
Back ears and dive in, they are quite delectable!
What’s a % mg.?
by greg—Aug 6, 12:08 PM
protein is measured in grams, the other stuff in miligrams. unfortunately, the site, and this was the only place i could find this info, does not give you any reference point for their percentages…
by Jeremy—Aug 6, 12:17 PM
So there shouldn’t be a % sign at all, then?
by greg—Aug 6, 12:21 PM
I don’t guess so, despite previous discussion I just copied it.
Except typically nutritional information is given as grams/100.
by Jeremy—Aug 6, 12:25 PM
Couldn’t you have put up a video of you eating it?
by greg—Aug 6, 08:54 PM
They are much more crunchy than it would seem from this video…
by Balthasar Gracián—Aug 6, 09:56 PM
BG, i’m sure you eat your bugs with much more style than these posers.
by kl—Aug 7, 02:47 PM
I tried to get to try one, but she wouldn’t.
You know, the one’s in the picture are missing their heads… so they are a bit longer
by Jeremy—Aug 7, 03:37 PM
re:7 thanks, I try to approach my gourmanding with gusto!
by Jeremy—Aug 7, 03:48 PM
yeah, i think someone would have to be holding a gun to my head to get me to try the ant, but then again, i can always claim my compassionate vegetarianism (even though we’ve recently backslid into eating seafood—oops)…
by kl—Aug 7, 08:00 PM
yummy… i’ve got a great scallops in cream over haricots verts… but, i wouldn’t want to further you along into sin.
oh, and a pesto pasta with baked trout (which isn’t seafood, technically) is a lovely thing… especially with a bright, crisp white wine
by Jeremy—Aug 7, 08:30 PM
with respect to fish, you push her along into fish faster than she’s already moving. a downright hedonist, that one.
by greg—Aug 7, 08:52 PM
romans one is right, after all, we who wallow in our mire are only happy when others come to our level.
in fact, the chair of where i did my phid, who then moved on to the tried and true ivies, always tried to keep a thumb on the vices of everyone around him; couldn’t stand it if there was someone who appeared not have any.
by Jeremy—Aug 7, 09:16 PM