Some people like them baked, others prefer them dried. Locusts are surprisingly nutritious and considered a delicacy by many in Kuwait but not everyone is enamoured by the crunchy culinary offering.
“I love their flavour, it’s one of my memories of childhood and reminds me of my grandparents and my father,” enthused Moudi al-Miftah, a 64-year-old journalist who writes a weekly newspaper column.
Miftah awaits winter every year to stock up on locusts, which she cooks herself, with a preference for crispiness.
Photo: AFP
In her kitchen, she tipped a bag of the insects into boiling stock where they quickly turned red, filling her kitchen with an aroma similar to stewing mutton.
After simmering for half an hour, the locusts are ready to eat but they can be baked for added crunch, or dried so they can be enjoyed year-round.
But most of Miftah’s loved ones stopped eating the bugs long ago.
Photo: AFP
Locust consumption is dwindling across Kuwaiti society, particularly among the younger generation, many of whom are disgusted by the prospect.
Ali Saad, a man in his twenties who was shopping for groceries, was visibly repulsed by the idea of snacking on insects.
“I’ve never thought of eating locusts,” he said. “Why would I eat an insect when we have all kinds of red and white meats?”
Photo: AFP
TASTY FLESH
Locusts are consumed in many parts of the world and are a staple of some cuisines. Experts say they are an excellent, energy-efficient source of protein.
In Kuwait, they retain a sturdy fan base among older citizens.
The first shipments, imported from Saudi Arabia, arrive in markets in January, transported in distinctive red bags weighing 250 grams.
They are stocked alongside white desert truffles, another delicacy sought by Kuwaitis in winter at the Al-Rai market nestled in an industrial area in the northwest of Kuwait City.
Abou Mohammed, 63, is originally from Ahvaz in Iran and normally sells fish at the market.
But when the season arrives, he becomes a locust and truffle salesman.
“The locusts are caught during the winter nights (when they are not flying) and we import them from Saudi Arabia,” he said.
He described the bugs as “like a shrimp” and enthused that “the flesh is very tasty — especially the females which are full of eggs”.
The larger females are known as “el-Mekn” in Kuwaiti dialect, while the smaller males are called “Asfour.”
Abou Mohammed says he sells almost a dozen bags a day at between three and five Kuwaiti dinars (US$8 and US$16) each.
“I sell some 500 bags over the season, which is from January to April,” he said.
STOCKPILING
Mohammed al-Awadi, a 70-year-old Kuwaiti, has delivered locusts to retailers for many years and keeps a handy supply of the dried insects in his pocket for snacking.
Dubbed “the king of the market,” the salesman demonstrated how to eat the bug — snacking on a first locust, then another and another.
“It’s the best of dishes. I’m full, so I don’t need to eat lunch today,” he said.
“The drier they are the better. My father always had a supply in his pocket.”
Authorities have sought in vain to ban the consumption of locusts over fears they could be contaminated.
Locusts can rapidly multiply and form swarms that damage crops, forcing some countries to tackle them with pesticides.
Adel Tariji put his stock of two black sacks beside his vehicle and prospective clients pulled up alongside to examine his produce and haggle over prices.
Tariji, who has sold locusts since he was 18, said that despite reticence from some, he had seen glimmers of interest from health-conscious younger buyers.
They are more willing to pay higher prices because they are convinced of the benefits of eating “all natural” products, he said.
“Some people are even stockpiling for next year out of fear that there will be no locusts next season.”
Last week Joseph Nye, the well-known China scholar, wrote on the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s website about how war over Taiwan might be averted. He noted that years ago he was on a team that met with then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), “whose previous ‘unofficial’ visit to the US had caused a crisis in which China fired missiles into the sea and the US deployed carriers off the coast of Taiwan.” Yes, that’s right, mighty Chen caused that crisis all by himself. Neither the US nor the People’s Republic of China (PRC) exercised any agency. Nye then nostalgically invoked the comical specter
Relations between Taiwan and the Czech Republic have flourished in recent years. However, not everyone is pleased about the growing friendship between the two countries. Last month, an incident involving a Chinese diplomat tailing the car of vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) in Prague, drew public attention to the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) operations to undermine Taiwan overseas. The trip was not Hsiao’s first visit to the Central European country. It was meant to be low-key, a chance to meet with local academics and politicians, until her police escort noticed a car was tailing her through the Czech capital. The
April 15 to April 21 Yang Kui (楊逵) was horrified as he drove past trucks, oxcarts and trolleys loaded with coffins on his way to Tuntzechiao (屯子腳), which he heard had been completely destroyed. The friend he came to check on was safe, but most residents were suffering in the town hit the hardest by the 7.1-magnitude Hsinchu-Taichung Earthquake on April 21, 1935. It remains the deadliest in Taiwan’s recorded history, claiming around 3,300 lives and injuring nearly 12,000. The disaster completely flattened roughly 18,000 houses and damaged countless more. The social activist and
Over the course of former President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) 11-day trip to China that included a meeting with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping (習近平) a surprising number of people commented that the former president was now “irrelevant.” Upon reflection, it became apparent that these comments were coming from pro-Taiwan, pan-green supporters and they were expressing what they hoped was the case, rather than the reality. Ma’s ideology is so pro-China (read: deep blue) and controversial that many in his own Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hope he retires quickly, or at least refrains from speaking on some subjects. Regardless