Throw Another Moth On The Barbie
Australians are being urged to crunch a bunch of nice, fresh bogong moths as a snack. Just to help keep the darn things under control. Mind you, they are not exactly health food. They contain high levels of arsenic and 3 ounces contain more fat than a Big Mac.
After years of being encouraged to "throw another shrimp on the barbie", Australians are now being urged instead to tuck into the bogong moths that are plaguing many parts of the country.
The "munch a moth" campaign is being led by Jean-Paul Bruneteau, 51, a French-born chef who is regarded as a worldwide pioneer of such delights as smoked emu, lemon myrtle and bunya nuts.
He first began eating the brown bogong moths 11 years ago while researching a book on "bush tucker" eaten by Aborigines.
"They have a lovely popcorn flavour, like hazelnut," he said.
Mr Bruneteau, who has run "bush tucker" restaurants in Sydney and Paris, suggests pulling off the "furry" wings, then popping the moths in the oven for three minutes in a splash of canola oil.
Alternatively the chef, who trained in the Royal Australian Navy, recommends putting them through a coffee blender and sprinkling the resulting powder into an omelette, pancake or crepe.
Bogong moths and cat casserole. Remind me to bring my own food if I visit down under.
Animals, World news | Gaius Saturday, 6 October , 2007
By Uncle Pinky, Saturday, 6 October , 2007 @ 10:22 pm
Said it before and I’ll say it again, protein is protein; and bug protein is plentiful, free and tasty. The arsenic bothers me, though.
You can roast the cyanide or cyanogens out of some foods, but arsenic’s a permeator that is accumulative. Keeps your skin smooth and goth-pallid, but so does blogging. Not worth the risk.