To Eat, or Not to Eat, Big-Butt Colombian Ants–That Was the Question #ttot #food #Colombia

I’d read that hormigas culonas, ants with big butts, are a common snack in the Santander region of Colombia. After the wings and legs are removed, they’re roasted or fried.  For some reason, but  I was curious about what they might taste like…

Not sure why, either. I’m not the most adventurous eater. Sure, I once ate dog meat (in China) once, but I thought it was duck. It was a mistake. Had I known, I’m quite sure I would not have eaten it. Anyway…

I had the chance to eat these ants (species: atta laevigata) since I was in Barichara, a colonial town in Santander. I was with a new friend, a Couch Surfing host who’s from Bogotá. She loves them, so she bought a cup chock full of them. She encouraged me to try them.

I was tempted…

I had myself convinced they might taste like bacon bites or non-sweet Rasinets or maybe Goobers (with a hint of chocolate). Or burnt popcorn.

I was hoping..fantasizing…

And from a distance, they didn’t look too bad.

But when I put my glasses on and saw them up close, I began to have second thoughts. There were a few on the left that looked too much like…ants, not the movie snacks I’d hope for.

Maybe if I have a cervesa or two, I’ll summon the courage to do it.

So did I?

No.

And I did have that cervesa.

I knew that the ants contain protein and vitamin B, so they’re sort of healthy, but that wasn’t enough to motivate me.

My friend, meanwhile, chowed down on them the way someone with the munchies eats Doritos. I wish I could have joined her (minus that sort of enthusiasm). Somehow I just couldn’t.

Do I have any regrets?

No, not really.

Why?

Read this description of  the experience and taste:

“The first loud crackle tastes and feels like popcorn, but by the time the juices spray wildly in your mouth and the filament-like legs slide down your throat, there’s no mistaking this toasted ant queen.”–USA Today

A Colombian I met today said that some of the ant (a thin shell-like piece or maybe a stray leg) sometimes stays in your teeth, like the skin of a peanut might. Ick.

By the way, eating these particular ants is a tradition inherited from pre-Columbian cultures, where they were used as gifts in weddings. according to Wikipedia. The ants, which are harvested during the rainy season, are believed by some locals to be an aphrodisiac.

Your Thoughts/Reactions/Experiences?

Could you eat hormigas culonas, the big-assed ants? Would you? And if you have eaten them, what did they taste like?

Would you eat them again?

If you couldn’t/wouldn’t, why not?

Or is a matter of having a few cervesas first?