It's Not Just A Bug, It's A Fine-Dining Feature At This Thailand Restaurant

It's Not Just A Bug, It's A Fine-Dining Feature At This Thailand Restaurant : The Salt : NPR:

"In his tiny kitchen, chef Thitiwat Tantragarn throws a handful of raw bamboo caterpillars into a hot skillet and sautés them with olive oil, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Seconds later, the cream-colored larvae are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Tantragarn adds white wine, then spoons the bugs, brown beady eyes and all, over grilled scallops and Jerusalem artichokes before sending the plate out to the dining room.

This is Insects in the Backyard, a restaurant in Bangkok that is turning bugs into haute cuisine. It opened in the city's trendy Chang Chui market in July.

In Thailand, it's not hard to find ant eggs, crickets and bamboo worms at markets and restaurants if you know where to look. But Insects in the Backyard is the only fine dining establishment in Thailand where the entire menu is devoted to bugs. The worms, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars here are paired with less intimidating grains, seafood and vegetables, "so it's not too scary for people who want to try our food," says Tantragarn."



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