Murder hornet munchies: The horrifying insect makes a tasty treat
Asian giant hornets, also called murder hornets, are up to 5 cm long and can sting their victims several times.
Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton / CNET
Messages from insects with nicknames Murder Hornets in the USA You may feel like the action of a horror movie, but you may feel better knowing that the pests make for a tasty snack.
The giant Asian hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is described as 1.5 to 2 inches long with an orange-yellow head and black stripes on the belly. The sting is long enough to rummage through protective beekeeping suits and kills up to 50 people annually in Japan alone.
Yes, the big hornets have been sighted in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in the state of Washington, but that doesn’t mean that the region’s residents are doomed to fail. The Asian giant hornet is obviously considered a delicacy in its home country of Japan. If you can’t beat them, will you eat them?
People who live in the central Chubu region of Japan love to eat the hornets – as well as wasps and bees Wasp festival yearly.
The bodies of the hornets are light and crispy and “leave you with a warming, tingling feeling”. based on a piece by The New York Times on Tuesday. It is worth noting that eating insects is nothing new. People were Eat insects since centuries. Even the philosopher Aristotle liked to chew on cicada larvae.
The Asian giant hornet larvae are often steamed with rice to prepare a traditional dish called Hebo-Gohan – also called Hachinoko Gohan. Cooks also place them dead giant Asian hornets (including spines) on skewers and grill them over hot coals.
These large hornets are not only an interesting snack, they also add a touch of pizza to the alcohol. Living giant Asian hornets (and sometimes wasps) drown in one clear distilled drink called Shochu. When the hornets drown, they release their poison into the liquid.
The mixture is sealed in a container and fermented for a few years until the shochu takes on a dark amber color. This can dilute the poison so that no future drinkers are sent to the hospital.
Mixing the Mordhorn Shochu with cocktails causes a stir, so to speak. A bee-themed bar in Fukuoka, Japan, called Suzumebachi, serves locals and tourists alike with the hornet-fortified alcohol. According to a journalist who tried the unusual giant hornet drink, it tasted “ashy in taste, almost like sipping on charcoal. ”
While foodies in Japan like to search for hornet hornets for snacks and cocktails, it’s worth noting that the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) does not advocate approaching these deadly pests that were officially discovered in Washington in December.
The WSDA warns Beware of giant Asian hornets. The giant giant hornet’s sting is longer than that of a honey bee and the poison is more poisonous than any local bee or wasp. If you find a colony, do not try to remove or exterminate it. Report it to the WSDA (or yours Ministry of Agriculture of the local state) right away.”
