WEIRD FOOD!

Grasshoppers anyone?

Jamaicans are used to their rice and peas and chicken, curried goat and white rice, and their ackee and salt fish with yam and banana (throw in roast breadfruit too).

But, somewhere on this globe, somebody is eating worms, cockroaches and scorpions. In short, stuff that we think would make us hurl! It's weird food! No matter how disgusting something may be, somebody in the world is eating it.

This week, we look at two of the popular, 'unusual' dishes, grasshoppers and crickets.

Bugs remain a traditional food in many cultures across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Entomophagy, the consumption of insects, has been around for thousands of years in some cultures. Research has shown that cooked grasshoppers contain up to 60 per cent protein with just six per cent fat. Plus, like fish, insects' fatty acids are unsatu-rated and thus healthier.

So don't frown. Here are some simple recipes you can try. Enjoy!

Dry Roasted Grasshoppers

METHOD:

1. Spread fresh, frozen and cleaned insects on paper towels on a cookie sheet.

2. Bake at 200F for one to two hours until desired state of dryness is reached. Check state of dryness by attempting to crush insect with spoon. If it crushes easily, it is ready.

Garlic Butter Fried Grasshoppers

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup cleaned insects (no legs, no antennae, etc.)

METHOD

1. Melt butter in fry pan.

2. Reduce heat.

3. Sauté garlic in butter for five minutes.

4. Add insects.

5. Continue sautéing for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir Fried Cricket Curry Over Rice

Ingredients:

Rice

Curry powder

Vegetable oil

1 tin coconut milk

1 clove of garlic

Half onion

Chili peppers

Various seasonal vegetables

3 dozen crickets

METHOD

1. Cook Rice in a separate pot.

2. Heat oil in a skillet or wok.

3. Add onions and peppers; heat and stir until onions are brown.

4. Add the garlic. Heat it, but be careful not to burn the garlic.

5. Add the vegetables and crickets and stir rapidly (It may be necessary to put in long-cooking vegetables such as carrots and potatoes earlier to ensure they are cooked properly).

6. When all of the vegetables and crickets are finished cooking, add the coconut milk and the curry.

7. Stir until everything is well mixed.

8. Serve over rice.

9. Makes about four servings.

Grasshoppers Delight

Ingredients:

1/2 cup deep-fried grasshoppers

1 cup snack mix

1 cup white chocolate

Method

1. Melt the white chocolate according to instructions on the package.

2. After it is melted, stir in bugs and snack mix.

3. Put in some bugs.

4. Put the mixture on a wax paper then let it sit until solid (or put in the freezer for a quicker treat).

Information sourced from news.nationalgeographic.com, www.planetscott.com and asiarecipe.com.