Korean Silkworm Larvae: From the Food X-Files

Care for a Cup of McBugs?

As a girl who grew up eating soft pretzels, roasted chestnuts, and onion-covered hot dogs on just about every corner in New York City, it never ceases to amaze me what constitutes fast food in different parts of the world. When you go to Holland, it's pickles and herring. When you travel around Cambodia, it's fried tarantulas with garlic. And when you hit the streets of Korea, it's silkworm larvae.

Let's start with the obvious. Silkworm larvae are the baby version of silkworm moths. And while the moths may be pretty, the larvae most certainly are not. To be blunt, they look like a cross between maggots and some kind of mucous-covered beetle. Crunchy, yet also strangely soft and wet, with enough wormlike wriggle to make mealtime about the farthest thing away from anyone's mind.

Well, except in Korea, that is. Yes, the locals absolutely love eating silkworm larvae, and in true McDonald's style, you can easily purchase a snack-size cup of these critters in both the largest cities and the smallest villages. The vendors are quite literally everywhere, and there's a good reason for that. Meat can often be too expensive for many Korean families to afford, so they use the silkworm larvae as a main source of protein instead. Simply put, the larvae are ultra-cheap (about the American equivalent of ninety-nine cents) and ultra-nutritious (a four-ounce serving contains over 50 grams of protein). Needless to say, the locals make a point of downing a healthy portion of this wriggly goodness every single day.