I've always accepted the fact the John the Baptist ate nothing but locusts and wild honey while dressed in camel skins (Matthew 3:4), but I always saw him as a bit exotic. So I started thinking: Just how common was it to eat locusts? I mean, are there any recipes? Well, yes. Yes there are. So today I will give you some of the ones I found just in case you decide to mark it off your bucket list the next time a swarm comes your way. Enjoy! Or shall I say bon appetit!
The following recipes were found on jewlicious.com:
Tinjiya (Tswana recipe): remove the wings and hindlegs of the locusts, and boil in a little water until soft. Add salt, if desired, and a little fat and fry until brown. Serve with cooked, dried mealies (corn).
Sikonyane (Swazi recipe): prepare embers and roast the whole locust on the embers. Remove head, wings, and legs, in other words, only the breast part is eaten. The South Sotho people use locusts especially as food for travellers. The heads and last joint of the hindlegs are broken off and the rest laid on the coals to roast. The roasted locusts are ground on a grinding stone to a fine powder. This powder can be kept for long periods of time and is taken along on a journey. Dried locusts are also prepared for the winter months. The legs, when dried, are especially relished for their pleasant taste.
Cambodia: take several dozen locust adults, preferably females, slit the abdomen lengthwise and stuff a peanut inside. Then lightly grill the locusts in a wok or hot frying pan, adding a little oil and salt to taste. Be careful not to overcook or burn them.
Barbecue (grilled): prepare the embers or charcoal. Place about one dozen locusts on a skewer, stabbing each through the centre of the abdomen. If you only want to eat the abdomen, then you may want to take off the legs or wings either before or after cooking. Several skewers of locusts may be required for each person. Place the skewers above the hot embers and grill while turning continuously to avoid burning the locusts until they become golden brown.
In this area cicadas come every 17 years. When Becki was a freshman in high school they swarmed. They were everywhere. So as a result, people were eating them in all kinds of ways. Restaurants were doing special dishes with them and Becki and her friends had them in cookies. It was a novelty to all of us since they come so rarely; however, it was interesting to see. There was even one restaurant that was serving them up to a year later (they had frozen a bunch of them). People will eat anything, so I guess God has to be very clear with us.
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