Edible Bugs in Thailand are topmost in the world of exotic snacks!
Malaysians are fond of snacking and relish the bite of spicy curry leaves, Muruku snacks, and nuts. No problem.
But have you ever snacked on worms, insects, bugs, and scorpions?
I’ve heard of individual Thai dishes that are cooked with edible insects.
Contents
Snack on Bugs in Thailand!
Most roadside street food stalls in Thailand sell Deep-fried fat crickets, cockroaches, and other bugs.
Most of these are deep-fried and heavily salted, with the right amount of chilly or sugar. These bugs make crispy morsels.
Thais eat these fried insects as a cheap source of protein for a nutrient-enriched snack.
It’s like the way we push back a bag of chips or popcorn!
Insect Cart Bug Snack
Exotic Snacking on Scary Insects, Bugs, and Worms
In the wet markets and night markets, you will be able to locate pushcarts with freshly fried bugs.
It’s common to find up to 10 different types in this mass bug graveyard.
An insect cart is often attached to motorbikes, so the vendors can cruise around quickly to find customers.
Most of the time, you may find the insect cart where beer drinkers crave salty snacks.
How to Order Insect and Bug Snacks?
Point and choose the most attractive-looking bug. Hahahaha!
They all look hideous, so perhaps choosing a little bite-sized bug may be more palatable.
Usually, a small snack of edible insect products is about 30 THB.
So, if you’re fearless and want to go the whole nine yards, shoot for a mixed bag.
A 100 THB worth of bugs, and you’ll get a bag of insects, worms, and pests.
You get a choice of a soy sauce mist and a dash of pepper to top them off.
While the bugs are all safe and harmless to eat, the larger ones are pretty scary-looking. It’s a little nerve-racking to eat.
Explore the diverse packaging options for edible bugs in Thailand.
Silkworm French Fries
Some of these tiny 1 to 2-centimeter worms, when deep-fried, end up straight as French Fries.
I thought the fried worm would be messy and wriggly.
They have a nutty taste, almost peanut-ty taste.
The Bamboo Worms are more elongated, about 2 – 3 centimeters in length.
Silkworms closely resemble French fries in appearance.
It’s a Bug’s Life – Bug Snack
Here’s a list of the typical insect cart bugs that cooked intact.
These insects are for human consumption.
These are deep-fried to a crisp and heavily salted. There are also other edible insects like red ants and even scorpions. Yikes!!! I know. Imagine snacking on insect crackers!
- Giant Water Bugs
- Grasshoppers
- Roasted Crickets
- Bamboo Worms
Insect Cart Bug Snack offers a wide variety of edible insects.
Silkworms Snack
Surprise your friends with edible insect souvenirs!
How to Eat an Insect Cart Bug Snack?
Don’t overthink when you encounter the top bug on a Thai insect cart.
The star bugs are the Grasshoppers.
Yes, these are darn popular.
Most of them are around 10 centimeters or so in length.
Yikes!!! And double Yikes!!!
The vendor will gesture that you plop the entire grasshopper into your mouth in a single bite.
Did I do it?
Of course not! It’s just scary.
What does an Insect Cart Bug Snack taste like?
A friend developed an appetite for these delicacies.
He says that if you have tried a deep-fried piece of pork skin, you will find these much lighter and delicate.
Grasshoppers tend to have a bit of a bug flavor; that’s when the salt and pepper helps.
As for Giant Water Bugs and Giant Crickets, these are pretty intimidating even after they’re dead!
I’m thinking of crabs, but then the big bulging eyes and gnarly legs on the Crickets look too scary.
To eat Giant Water Bugs, you need to pull off the rigid outer wings before fishing out the meat from the head. I’m feeling a little green now.
The bigger the bug, the less it’s cooked to crunchiness.
Some parts of the body will be mushy and gooey instead of crispy.
I also found out that you can grab a bag of bugs when you head to Thailand next!
