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Eating ants

Ants are eaten all over the world. (A few foreign species are best avoided). The ants release an acid which gives them a specific unique taste.
I have seen ants nests dug up where it was not the ants they were after but the eggs.

Isn't there the popular "ant eating ceremony" where you go out into the countryside with a picnic and try to guess where to put your rug so it is on top of the largest ants nest possible. (Very popular in the UK)
 
As I recently encouraged people to eat ants. I thought it only far that when I had the opportunity this weekend due to a garden infestation that I should indulge.
Here are my tasting notes:- Sharp bitter taste. Lingers on the tongue. Not unpleasant.
My challenge to you is find some taste them (you may be surprised) and leave tasting notes.
C
 
Got 2 :rofl: misses said your no kissing me again your a manky git :rofl::rofl:

Like a slight citrus’y Taste. Surprisingly crunchy for a little thing. See what you mean about lingering on the tongue @Chalkflint
 
Top Man Ark
I am told they compliment Gin and Tonic quite well.
I can sort of see the logic.
C
 
As far as I understand ants contain formic acid hence the sharp taste. I can't be sure if eating large quantities raw ants would cause harm or not , our stomachs are after all acidic ,but formic acid like most organic acids is easily broken down by heat so cooking the ants will remove or neutralise the acid.
 
Interesting Question!

The large ones who life in the forests would give an easy meal. Perhaps it is a good idea to mix them with some salad. Salad and lemon works well, may be with ants too?

But the Question is:

Why Europeans usually do not eat ants???

Usually we eat all we can get, isn't it?
 
I think keeping them on the plate or in the bowl is the problem......lively little devils :)
 
Why do Europeans not eat ants? You may have hinted on it with your comment about Forrest ants being bigger , maybe European ants are a lot more fiddly than their African and Asian counterparts. Maybe ant eating is more suited to a hunter gatherer lifestyle whereas populations in Europe are more static and agricultural based . It could just be a cultural thing , insect consumption in Europe has pretty much been viewed with di stain for some time now.
 
There is a movement to try and encourage more eating of insects as a way to solve the world food shortages. Although most countries where food is scarce already happily eat insects. We Europeans look with disapproval at eating insects yet eat sea food such as shrimp etc which could be described as sea based insects.
C
 
Currently I am living for bed and breakfast in Aix en Provence and could ask a specialist for our question, a chinese lady working in a restaurant!

Her answer is:

They are roasting them and sell them in their restaurant! (Of course in France that works.)

They use a European species, coming from an organic farm !!!

And she said that most insects can be eaten. To eat them is usual in China. There are only a few exceptions we should not eat.

I thought about, and came to the result, that our reason not to eat them is religious. In Germany we learn in school that they are called "Insekten" but at home we call them "Ungeziefer". That word comes from the meaning, that you are not allowed to offer sacrifice them to the god Ziu, the god of the holy day "Dienstag" in English"Tuesday".
I remember now that I learned that in school.

I think, this is the point.

If you count together the life time of 20 grandpas, sitting around a table, you get the 1600 years christianity in Europe as result. That means, this time of our new religion wasn't long enough to change our behaviour.
(Especially bushcrafters know that very well, behaving in the forest like humans used to behave 20.000 years ago.)


So, come on every body! Let's become atheistic, and let us toast some insects!

(Unfortunately I can't do this, because I just made some reservations in a couple of good french restaurants, but YOU should try it out immediately, and send us your impressions!)
;0)


Ah, one came along while I was writing the last sentence!
Ok, crunchy, but mine wasn't tasty in any direction. May be the reason, why french people don't eat them. ;0)
I think I have to ask for a croissant. This small girl wasn't enough for me this morning.
 
It's much easier to get a large volume of protein from eat theing the larvae, they can't escape off your plate and are not acidic. My only caution to you is that many areas where wood ants are abundant are also considered to be SSSI's (certainly in my part of the Wye valley) so they shouldn't be disturbed. Red ants are quite capable of defending themselves so best avoided
 
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