Exotic Food Dishes: Dining on Worms ... A Wonderful Source of Healthy Protein
Recent research, covered by news organizations the world over, has concluded that a good deal of the hunger problems being experienced in some parts of the world could be resolved if more people ate ... worms. Research has demonstrated that worms are a powerful source of necessary protein. In fact, in recent times, worms have found there way on the menus of exotic food dishes that are enjoyed by people in many different parts of the world.
The fact is that when it comes to exotic foods, worms - particularly fried or sun dried worms - already have a fairly strong following in different countries in the world today. For example, in Thailand fried worms are served quite like bar nuts in countries in the western world. In southern Africa, sun dried worms are favored and sought after snacks.
Fried, sun dried or baked, worms oftentimes have been compared to potato chips of beef jerky (depending on the manner in which they are prepared). This comparison extends to both taste and texture.
In considering worms as exotic food dishes, it is very important that an appropriate worm be selected in the first instance. In the end, not any old worm will do. Perhaps the most important factor in selecting worms in the first instance is to try and find crawlers that have not been exposed to harmful chemicals. For example, if you pluck worms out of your backyard, chances are that they will have been exposed to an array of different types of chemicals that you will have used to tend to your garden and lawn.
In this regard, perhaps the best bet is to buy worms from a worm farm. If you take this course, you will have the comfort of knowing that these worms more likely than not have spent their lives free of any exposure to any type of harmful chemicals.
People who enjoy exotic food dishes, and who include worms on their menus, also express concern that the worms be killed humanely. In this regard, experts recommend that the worms either be frozen or soaked in oil to minimize the trauma and pain that the worms might be exposed to when their lives are being brought to an end.
If you want to fry worms, you need to dehydrate them initially. You need to understand that worms are 90% water. If you just toss them onto a frying pan or into a pot of oil, they will burst. The two paths that you can take to dehydrate worms is to put them in salt water or heat them in an oven. However, if you choose to heat them in the oven, you need to pay close attention to how long you leave them cooking. If left in the oven too long, worms will shrink to the width of a hair. There is an element of trial and error and experimentation involved in regard to getting the temperature of and the time in the oven correct.
Beyond frying or sun drying worms, when it comes to this specialty on the list of exotic food dishes, worms can also be candied, marinated, sauted, baked, grilled or roasted.