Insect delicacies

Where better to start a meal than at the bottom of the food chain? With an open mind and occasionally closed eyes, Time Out samples the best six-legged snacks Beijing has to offer

Of the huge varieties of Chinese cuisine, the part that seems to be the furthest removed from the West's dull meat-and-two-veg diet is the eating of insects. Though people around the world are quite happy to tuck into a pot of honey, most stop short of eating the bee itself – strange when you consider how plentiful and protein-packed insects can be. Nowadays seen as a novelty act, there are clearly valid reasons why insects have crept and crawled their way onto the menu: Time Out picks its way through the entomological section of the larder.  

Bamboo worms

How? Bamboo worms burrow away inside bamboo shoots and are ready to eat when they reach about three centimetres in length. By this time they have a tough white shell, but are soft on the inside – leave it any longer and they grow hair and eventually go grey – two signs that they are past their prime. They are considered a delicacy by the Dai ethnic minority in Yunnan province. When they are deep-fried in oil, the worms puff up like popcorn and are eaten as a snack.

Why? Though tasteless, they're rich in protein, amino acids, fatty acids, micro-elements and vitamins, abundant between October and February and easy to cultivate – the real question is 'Why aren't we all eating them?'

Where? Middle 8, South Silk Road, Xie Jiao Xiang, Yunteng Binguan

Bee pupae

How? All honey bees start life as an egg about the size of a comma, laid by the queen bee in the bottom of a wax cell in the brood area of a hive. A 'worker' egg hatches after three days into a larva. Nurse bees feed it royal jelly at first, then pollen and honey for six days. Bee pupae are removed from the hive and deep-fried in oil, then served with a dipping sauce of salt, ground chillies and ground Sichuan peppercorn.

Why? There are not always ready answers for why Chinese eat all the things they do. The Derung ethnic minority, who mainly live in the Derung Valley in Yunnan Province, consider bee pupa one of their most precious dishes. The fact that many Derung live to over 100 may well have something to do with them scoffing lots of protein rich bee, then again it may be more to do with breathing in all that fresh Himalayan air.

Where? Middle 8 Restaurant; South Silk Road; Xie Jiao Xiang; Yunteng Binguan

Beetles

How? The predatory diving beetle is a popular snack in southern China, especially – surprise, surprise – in Guandong province. Before cooking these little critters, you have to remove the hard wings on the back and lightly squeeze the head between your thumb and index finger to push out the intestines. To cook the beetles, first poach them in boiling water, then either season them with salt and steam or deep-fry and then sprinkle them with salt and Sichuan peppercorns.

Why? Beetles are said to be an anti-diuretic that can cure kids of bed-wetting and the elderly from making too many trips to the toilet. 

Where? Donghuamen Night market   

Black ants

How? Polyrhachis vicina roger have long been enjoyed by the people of Guangxi province. This humble black ant is consumed in a variety of ways: deep-fried, in soup, soaked in wine or cooked in an omelette. The ants are also available dried, powdered or in capsule form.

Why? One study determined that the nutritional composition of the black ant includes minerals, amino acids, Vitamin E, and a number of other nutrients. Pound for pound they are a better source of protein than beef, chicken, pork or lamb and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine use ants as a major ingredient of medicine for hepatitis B. Steeped in tea or soaked in liquor they are also a natural remedy for ailments such as arthritis.

Where? Deep-fried black ants on baked sesame bread (3RMB/piece) at Kong Yiji.

Centipedes

How? These reddish-brown, flattened, long and leggy arthropods feed on live insects and other small animals. Fried on a stick, the centipede tastes unlike anything you will have previously eaten, and not in a good way, though the salt on the outside helps. Beware of the sharp legs as they can get stuck on your lips. Centipede soup can be made with one whole centipede, liquorice and slivered loova – a squash similar to a wintermelon.

Why? Dried centipedes ground with some other herbs are prescribed to cure weak kidneys, backache and impotence. The recipe is also believed to be an aphrodisiac. The centipede, although toxic, helps to dispel other toxins in a 'fight fire with fire' TCM cure.

Where? Donghuamen Night Market

Cicadas

How? Not to be confused with the cricket, which is often kept as a pet, the cicada is famed for its mating call. Made by the males only, each species of cicada has its own distinctive call to attract females of its own kind. They are best pan fried in oil – though they are a bit difficult to keep in the pan, so keep the lid on otherwise they'll hot foot it out of there. Cicadas do not have any particular taste, but have a nice crispy crunch to them and are like eating deep-fried tofu skin. The inner part is soft like the white part of a boiled egg. Wings and legs can get stuck in your teeth mind you, so not the best choice for a candle lit dinner.

Why? There is no particular reason cicadas are eaten – though in hard times it is easy to see why country folk would have leapt on this ready source of protein. The cicada molts, or exuvia, are used in medicine to treat scrofula, a disease with glandular swellings.

Where? Normally cooked at home, don't expect to find these hoppers in the supermarket. Shandong native Tang Xuemei says her father catches hundreds of young cicadas every time it rains: 'the sound of the downfall drives them out of their burrows and you just pick them up.' The young ones taste the nicest because they are tender, delicate and the wings have yet to grow.

Scorpion

How? This terrestrial arachnid has pincers and a poisonous stinger at the end of a jointed tail it holds curved over its back. The fact that most species of this 'desert lobster' live in tropical and subtropical areas might have something to do with the fact that they are un-aggressive and even a bit lazy. Rather than hunting for prey, they wait for it to wander past. Scorpions are sometimes placed into a variety of oils, which may then be used as antidotes for stings. If bitten by a scorpion, it's common to drink a 'tea' made from the bug that bit you.

Why? Following the commonly held traditional belief that animals that look or act unusual have special powers and the more poisonous a creature, the higher its medicinal value – the scorpion is often added to potions as a 'bu' or supplemental food. In other words, a second tier ingredient. According to traditional Chinese medicine, scorpion can eliminate the body's inner heat, treat rheumatism, paralysis, convulsion twitches, tetanus, hepatitis B and cancer. In Beijing it is commonly seen skewered on a kebab, having been deep fried in oil and then sold to a goggle-eyed tourist.

Where? Donghuamen Night Market

Silkworms

How? The silkworm (Bombyx mori, literally 'raw silk of mulberry') is a moth larva that, as the producer of silk thread, has been very important to China's economy throughout history. Native to northern China, a silkworm's diet consists solely of mulberry leaves. They are usually deep-fried and have a distinctive, yet difficult to describe odour and an after-taste similar to wet, decomposing leaves. The outer shell is tough and should not be eaten.

Why? You can't beat the low-fat content and nutritional value of a silk worm. Silkworms are a high source of calcium, protein, iron, magnesium, sodium and Vitamins B1, B2, and B3. Silkworm frass (the excrement of insect larvae) is also used as a medicine for diarrhoea. Silkworms are good for children who suffer from malnutrition and as a supplement for pregnant women. Its oil is said to be good for reducing fatty acids and cholesterol. Basically a nutritious, low fat alternative to scorpions and mealworms!

Where? Donghuamen Night Market, though the silkworms on sale are zuocan. These are larger and have a harder shell than the sangcan, or mulberry silkworm, and produce a far inferior form of silk – hence people's readiness to fry them up.

Snails

How? Escargot may be a noble name for the humble garden snail, but this oft-misunderstood arthropod is eaten as a delicacy around the world. In China they are normally cooked Sichuan style with lots of chilis. The meat is chewy, like eating cartilage.

Why? These nocturnal hermaphrodites are high in protein and low in fat. Li Shizhen (1518-1593), ancient China's best known pharmacist and the author of the Compendium of Materia Medica, recorded in detail the snail's anatomy, life cycle, and medicinal properties. Snails are used as a cure for coughing, spitting blood, to ease colic, for detoxification and to reduce swelling, though we doubt it is the fastest acting cure out there.  

Where? Once a staple on many a Sichuan menu and served at big restaurants like South Beauty, snails are now off the menu after a food scare last year that saw a lot of people fall ill from eating. This means they are now hard to find.

Addresses

Donghuamen Night Market Donghuamen Dajie (west of Wangfujing Dajie) Dongcheng district. Open 5-11pm. 东华门街 王府井大街西边 

Kong Yiji 8 Chaoyang Gongyyuan Lu, Chaoyang district (tel 6508 2228). Open 11am-10pm. 孔已己 朝阳区朝阳公园西门8号公馆内右侧

Middle 8 Sanlitun Zhong Jie, Zhong Ba Lou, Chaoyang district (tel 6413 0629) Open 11am-midnight. 中八楼 三里屯中街中八楼

South Silk Road Third Floor, Bulding D, SOHO New Town, 88 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang district (tel 8580 4286). Open 11am-10pm daily; 19A Shichahai, Qianhai Xi Yan, Xicheng district (tel 6615 5515). Open 11.30am-12pm. 茶马古道,朝阳区建国路88号SOHO现代城D座三层;西城区什刹海前海西沿甲19号12-13室

Xie Jiao Xiang Shop 1&2, 10 Xingguang Dadao, Chaoyang district (tel 5876 8897). Open 9am-11pm. 斜角巷 朝阳区富力城星光大道10号1-2商铺

Yunteng Binguan Building 7, Huashi Beili, Dongqu, Chongwen district (tel 6711 3322 ext. 7105). Open 11am-2.30pm; 5pm-10pm. 云腾宾馆 崇文区东区花市北里7号楼  

Eileen Wen Mooney