Black Witches a la Mediterraneo
Illustration, p. 59
Black witch moth larvae combine with traditional Mediterranean spices and vegetables in this tasty, nutritious salad ideal for sultry days, with a flavor similar to herring. Have your guests guess the ingredients. Won’t they be surprised!
1/2 head lettuce, finely chopped
1/3 pound potatoes, cooked and cubed
1/3 pound carrots, cooked and cubed
1/2 pound peas, cooked
1/2 pound black witch larvae, dried
1/2 cup thyme vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Dill to taste
Ground coriander, to taste
3/4 cup parsley, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspon pepper, or more to taste
1 medium tomato, sliced (optional)
1 small onion (optional)
Avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
Place the chopped lettuce in a bowl and add the potatoes, carrots, and peas.
Cut the larvae in pieces and fold into the potato-carrot mixture. Add the vinegar, olive oil, dill, coriander, parsley, and salt and pepper, to taste. If desired, slices of tomato, onion, and avocado may be added. Serve cold.
The peoples of central and southern Africa have some of the most established entomophagous cultures in the world. This salad is my adaptation of a dish you might find there.
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, finely sliced or chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon chopped dill
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pepper, to taste
2 tomatoes, cut in rounds
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
4 pears, sliced lengthwise
1/2 pineapple, sliced
1/2 pound roasted ant larvae or pupae
larvae or pupae to garnish (optional)
Place the chopped lettuce on a platter.
Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper and drizzle over the lettuce. Add the tomatoes, celery, avocado, pear, and pineapple. Sprinkle with the roasted, crunchy ant larvae and serve. (This dish can be nicely garnished with agave billbug larvae or larvae and/or pupae of bees or wasps.)
1/2 pound larvae and/or pupae of bees or wasps
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup honey vinegar (or other vinegar)
1/2 pound mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 head lettuce, finely chopped
1 can hearts of palm, chopped
1 mango, peeled and cut in pieces
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon pepper, or more to taste
Fry the larvae in the olive oil at medium heat until they are crunchy. Place in a serving dish and add the peanut oil, honey vinegar, mushrooms, lettuce, hearts of palm, and mango. Mix well, adding salt and pepper to taste. This salad makes an excellent accompaniment to main course dishes.
Illustration, p. 60
Those who aren’t ready to take the plunge and eat insects can still enjoy their products with this honeyed fruit salad. It may surprise some to learn that honey bees are not the only makers of honey; many bees and wasps produce delightful and unusual honeys. Those fortunate enough to have access to wasp honey should certainly use it; others can substitute the usual kind.
2 red apples, cut in wedges
2 golden apples, cut in wedges
3 peaches, cut in wedges
2 bananas, sliced
2 pears, diced
3 oranges, peeled and sectioned
3 mandarins, peeled and sectioned
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1/8 pound granola
1/4 cup raisins
4 ounces chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup wasp honey
2/3 cup whipped cream
Mix all the fruit together. Add the granola, raisins, nuts, wasp honey, and cream.
(Dragonfly Seviche)
Padrecitos, “little fathers” in Spanish, are the larvae of dragonflies—acquatic larvae that live in ponds and slow streams and prey on mosquitoes and other insects. This modern variation on seviche works just like the shellfish version—the naiads are “cooked” by marinating them in lemon juice. Accompany the padrecitos with plenty of cold beer.
1/2 pound dragonfly larvae
lemon juice, enough to completely cover the larvae (approx. 3 lemons)
1 small onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 handful parsley, chopped
11/2 tablespoons olive oil
11/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Thyme vinegar, to taste
Freshly minced dill, to taste
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
Put the naiads, whole or in pieces, in lemon juice for three hours. Add the onion, tomato, parsley, vinegar, oil, dill, and the salt and pepper. Garnish with slices of avocado. Serve cold as a main course.