Wine & Bug Pairing
No matter how weird you find
it: YES, it is trendy to eat bugs.
Not only because of the great
benefits you can get from them (full of proteins and vitamins, low calories),
but some also say that insects are the last great hope to save the planet.
Worms, caterpillar, crickets,
wasps.... could be an alternative to global food shortage. Eating insect will
help ending famine when more than 10 billion people will need to be fed.
So why don’t we stop judging
them, only because they look nasty?
In Cambodia, eating bugs is
definitely not a new trend. Wander around Riverside, and look around... group
of friends chilling by the night market, eating crickets, is a common thing to
see. And those guys are no hipsters (yet).
Let’s put aside our judgment
and fear, and savor those tiny insects.... And find which wine will be the best
companion to it, of course!
 |
| Romdeng restaurant |
Marinated Cricket, Silkworm
and Baby Frogs with oyster sauce salt palm sugar garlic set as side 15minutes.
Then deep fry it about 3minutes take out place into a large plate served with
tamarind sauce and garnished with cucumber, red chili cube.
Tasting: The silkworms,
looking like crunchy brown vegetables (which make it easier to taste...), were
actually rather soft in mouth. The shell is quite chewy and there was not much
to eat inside. Texture was rather soft, and the flesh had surprising nutty
notes. Dip in the tamarind sauce, to add some flavors as that bug is not so tasty.
Criquets were on the other
hand, very crispy. And more difficult to swallow. Taste a bit like a shrimp
that would have sharpened legs.
 |
| "Lovely" fried cricket at Romdeng restaurant |
The tamarind sauce, being
sweet and sour, is quite overwhelming the bugs flavors, but makes an
interesting addition. White wine would be not enough
powerful. So, we decided to taste it with a light red instead.
Excellent match with: Villa Ponciago, Beaujolais Villages, France
its light to medium body, its fresh
and fruity aromas (strawberry, red cherry) were an ideal match to both the bugs
and the tamaring sauce.
 |
| Wine & bug pairing #1 - with Villa Ponciago (on the right) |
Dish #2: Crispy Tarantulas with Black Pepper and Lime Sauce
Mix lime juice, pepper, sugar
salt together, place into a small bowl and set aside.
Clean the spiders in salt
water.
Combine some sugar and salt in
a little water and marinade the spider for at least five minute in it.
In some oil fry the spiders on
high heat for about one minute and then drain them on a paper towel.
Place tarantulas on large
plate garnish with black pepper seed cucumber flower and chili small cube and
serve with the Lime pepper sauce on the side.
 |
| Fried tarentulas. How can you resist? |
I know. It’s a tough one.
Shall I close my eyes and put the whole thing inside my mouth? pick a leg
first? if i I eat the belly, am i going to be poisoned?
 |
| Yummy! |
Tasting: Well, some would say
it tastes like chicken... others, like prawns... what I noticed the most was
that it was not easy and pleasant to chew. The fact that it is fried gets the
upper hand on the taste of the flesh.
Lime and pepper sauce is a
great dip to go with. The spicy notes and the acidity balance nicely the oily
fried skin feeling.
Great match with: Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc
from New Zealand, with its citrus and fruity notes, its hints of dried herbs,
will ideally balance the fried tarantula, and accompany the dish.
 |
| Wine & Bug pairing #2 - with Alan Scott Sauv Blanc |
Interesting experience, but I
have to admit that it was challenging to really savor the insects and the
subtlety of their aromas (if there is...), as - being fried - it tends to
homogenize the taste. However, I can not say that it tastes bad, and it's a really
interesting experience.
You just have to forget about
the hairy legs....
...and maybe also the chewiness of the flesh....
.. oh! and please try to avoid the thick shell....
Bon Appétit !
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