Natural world

Scorpion soup

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable oil
30-40 live scorpions, washed
125g fresh pork
1 large garlic bulb, crushed
fresh ginger root, about 3cm, chopped
salt and pepper
½ litre water
1 handful dried Chinese dates
1 handful dried red berries
1 large carrot, sliced

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large wok. Stir-fry the scorpions for 20 seconds. Add the pork, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir-fry briefly, then add the water slowly. Add the other ingredients and simmer on a low heat for 40 minutes.

Notes

This soup can be eaten either as a starter or as a main course and tastes mostly of the pork and dates. It is best accompanied by Chinese beer.

Scorpions are eaten in the south of China. They are reared in ‘ranches’, mostly in people’s homes, then sold in the markets. Scorpions have a woody taste and should be eaten whole, except for the tip of the tail.

 

Warning !

All the recipes given here are based on traditional dishes eaten by people over many generations. There are small risks when eating insects, so it is recommended that:

• Nobody with an allergy to shellfish, chocolate or dust should try these recipes.
• All insects should be prepared exactly as described and thoroughly cooked before being eaten.
• Only the insects mentioned in the recipes should be used, as some other species are not edible. Please take care not to eat or even touch a hairy caterpillar in Britain.

All Illustrations by Steve Roberts