Tarantulas as food?

[Zevil]

I'm a South East Asian and I have eaten some pretty weird stuff like silkworm pupa and weird parts of an animal's body. I would like to try fried bugs one day out of curiosity. But I would never eat any dead animals that died on its own, not taking any risks.

 

[kaolincash]

I'm not surprised that most of you said you wouldn't, but I am a little miffed that I got a dislike and a facepalm on my initial post; I'm just curious as to your folks' opinions, not telling you to eat your pets! Yikes!

 

[PhilMcWonder]

I'm not surprised that most of you said you wouldn't, but I am a little miffed that I got a dislike and a facepalm on my initial post; I'm just curious as to your folks' opinions, not telling you to eat your pets! Yikes!

Here, have an optimistic rainbow ^-^
But I wouldn't eat a tarantula. Not much nutrition value, Potential of disease or sickness from decaying animal, Potential bad reaction to eating venom/hairs, And culturally unusual to me personally. Eating a dead tarantula isn't really a good idea.

 

[SamanthaMarikian]

Hey folks,

I don't know if this is a sore topic on here or whatever, but I figured I'd ask just out of curiosity:

Given that there are many cultures across the world that eat tarantulas, and cultures that eat their dead, where would you, personally, the person reading this, stand on the idea of eating your tarantula after it dies of natural causes?

Ever since I saw it on a nature show when I was a kid, I've wanted to try eating fried tarantula, but I'm also happy to never do that at any point in my life; it's not on a bucket list or anything, just more of a curiosity.

I know some people preserve their Ts when they die, but has anyone here ever... eaten one?

Like I mentioned, many cultures eat their dead as a way of keeping them as part of themselves, and I think there's something romantic in that, so I'm not trying to suggest treating any T's body in a less than totally respectful way, and I don't know if I'd ever eat one of mine anyway, I just thought it was an interesting question and I hope you guys can respect that.

At any rate, if you don't plan to monch and cromch on any of your spiders when they die, what *are* your plans and practices?

Kaolin

I accidentally voted that I would but I wouldn’t. Lol. I wouldn’t after it died for health risks and just because I wouldn’t feel like eating one of my own pets after it died by it’d be kinda sad. If it was raised for food idk but I read once that a lot of tarantulas sold in Asia for food are collected from the wild n sold as taboo food for tourists and I wouldn’t support that unless it was purely sustenance. Not to mention that from the videos I watched on it and articles I read they pour boiling water down their burrows or ram sticks down to kill them or just cook them alive and I wouldn’t support that out of conscience

Here, have an optimistic rainbow ^-^
But I wouldn't eat a tarantula. Not much nutrition value, Potential of disease or sickness from decaying animal, Potential bad reaction to eating venom/hairs, And culturally unusual to me personally. Eating a dead tarantula isn't really a good idea.

A lot I’ve seen are fried and the hairs aren’t a problem after the process but I wouldn’t eat one nonetheless

 

[chanda]

A lot I’ve seen are fried and the hairs aren’t a problem after the process but I wouldn’t eat one nonetheless

The hairs should not be serious issue in Asia (where a lot of the fried tarantulas on those exotic food shows hail from) because Old World tarantulas don't have urticating hairs to begin with.

Sure, they have regular hairs (ok, setae - not quite the same, but close enough) - but so do other food animals. I suspect they are removed prior to eating, just because eating hair is kinda gross. (I hate when I even get a piece of my own hair in my mouth, like when eating outdoors on a windy day. Even worse when it's that "mystery hair" that presumably came from one of the people preparing the food, prior to me getting it.)

As for the New World tarantulas that are eaten in South America, I believe I've seen those cooked in an open fire, so presumably the uricating hairs are burned off. (I'll be that smells appetizing!)

I'm not surprised that most of you said you wouldn't, but I am a little miffed that I got a dislike and a facepalm on my initial post; I'm just curious as to your folks' opinions, not telling you to eat your pets! Yikes!

Don't take it so personally. When it comes to online forums, people express their opinions in a variety of ways. Some will take the time to write out an articulate and well-thought-out response, some will fire off a quick remark or joke - and some will opt for the quick and easy method of pressing one of the ratings buttons. Nothing wrong with any of those options. All are valid means of expressing an opinion, reflecting only the different amounts of time and energy a person wants to invest in the topic.

It not a "dislike" of you but of the idea of eating a dead pet tarantula.

 

[Anoplogaster]

I love eating weird and interesting foods, especially when it helps me explore other cultures. And I also feel like I can stomach a lot of what most people can’t. I’ve eaten dubia roaches from my own feeder colony before, purely out of curiosity (tastes like cheetos, btw).

But I think I would agree with many others in that it’s not recommended that you eat something that died naturally. Particularly when it comes to inverts. As many people here have seen, inverts don’t usually die very quickly. Quite often, their body condition will degrade significantly before they are completely dead. So with that in mind, I would never eat any of my own. Mostly because I would never kill any of my pets for that purpose.

But I actually have been quite curious about the taste and texture, though. There are actually sources online where you can buy canned tarantulas for consumption. One day I’ll probably order one.

The most effective way to remove prejudice of other cultures is to experience them

 

[Bob Lee]

I remember somewhere in Brazil they actually make stir fried tarantulas.
I personally wouldn't try eating bugs, even through crickets sound great... Maybe one day.

 

[basin79]

Seems a very strange question to ask. Would you eat your pet?

Would you ask the same if a dog died? A parrot? A cat?

 

[Bob Lee]

I feel like you really should edit your post, there is a huge difference between frying bacon and eating your decaying pet pig ...
Not only is the later unethical for any animal... It's unhealthy...

 

[SteveIDDQD]

No, I wouldn't eat a dead pet. But I also wouldn't eat a spider raised and slaughtered for food. It's icky.

I watched the Tarantula Dan vid where he and Petko ate some bugs. Crickets where ok viewing, then the chocolate covered T came out. Seemed a bit uncomfortable to watch at first, but then he mentioned it was an A.seemanni, and it suddenly seemed extremely awkward and uncomfortable to watch. I just thought "that's a cool T that someone could have been looking after". Not knocking them for trying though, each to their own.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Would you eat your pet?

I'll eat anything with a spine (although I'd go cannibal before eating any of my pets because I actually like them)

 

[Chris LXXIX]

although I'd go cannibal before eating any of my pets because I actually like them

That's exactly my view as well, if/when everything will crumble

Plus, in such a scenario pets would be gold worthy, for that you can use those pets for lure, as a bait, other hungry humans into 'Mad Max' style traps.

 

[Chris B]

I mean, I've eaten crickets before, but this feels a step too far, for me.

They'd be, so... juicy.

I've had crickets, but this seems a bit too... juicy.

 

[Vanisher]

I would have eaten a tarantula in a country where they eat them as a part of there's tradition. But not my own, no And certainly not a dead one! Dead animals can be dangerous to eat! Scrimps, crabs and lobster can be leathal to eat if it dead when cooked! Not to mention oysters!!
It may be unwise to eat a dead tarantula!

 

[SkittleBunny]

I saw Chef Gordon Ramsay eat some in one of his tele programs. They killed them in boiling water and then fried them. Similar to seafood. Ramsay chewed into one like a champ, while the other amazonians were peeling the eco skeleton away to eat the gooey insides which seemed to make more sense..like a crab..peel it open right? Ramsay described the taste as very sweet at first but then very bitter and strong, however he ate the tarantula without peeling away the exo skeleton, which could have altered the taste .

He made them look good .
I would HAVE to try it one day, but my personal T's I couldnt eat. Now that I think about it, I'll order and eat some canned tarantulas and review them if I can reach 100 subs on youtube. Thats a Skittle Bunny Promise. Lol

 

[EtienneN]

I don't think I could do it unless I was dying of starvation and even then I'm not sure I could stomach the textures involved. There's just that gag factor, you know? I wouldn't eat sheep's head or bull testicles either. I guess if someone else separated the guts from the meat I'd try a piece of muscle/tendon or maybe a leg. I could probably handle a leg. But the carapace with the eyes and stuff? Nope nopety nope nope.

 

[MikeyD]

I would eat one if I were in an area where they were consumed and one was offered to me. I wouldn’t ever eat an animal that died, and I recoiled at the thought of a romanticized view of ritualized cannabalism. I’m just guessing that you’re not familiar with Prion diseases? Tribal groups in New Guinea were afflicted with a prion disease (causing folded proteins) when the women ritualistically consumed their dead family members. I believe there is also a group on Brazil that consumed their dead family members but they made a porrage of cremated ashes and banana. Makes eating Tarantula seem pretty tame in comparison.

 

[Inktomi2]

Barstool sports did a video on a guy eating a T. Almost made him toss his cookies.

https://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/whoa-thats-weird-tarantula

 

[Achim]

I had the dish before, and can say that the taste really depends on how it was prepared, the freshness, and whether it is a pregnant female or not. In general the cephalothoriax taste like a crab or shrimp with a certain nuttyness to it and has white meat inside the legs, otherwise not a lot. Prepared using the most common method, the Ts are usually strongly seasoned with lots of salt, garlic, red chilli peppers, peppercorns, chicken soup mix, some sugar, and deep fried in oil. Much of the taste comes from those ingredients in this preparation. The other methods are adding little to no salt and deep frying or wrapping in leaf and grilling after burning off the hairs, in which they retain more of the original taste.

If it is pregnant female, the majority of the abdomen consists of white mealy eggs. If its a male then it also depends on how long it was fried for, if not for too long you will either get a thick black goo, or if fried for longer it looks like coagulated blood after you bite it open, both of which has a bitter bile like taste with the gooey stuff being the most bitter, the eggs the least and the coagulated stuff somewhere in the middle. The texture is a bit gritty. I have a feeling that it might even depend on what it may have been eating, I have encountered a bitter-bile like sour abdomen once too, since then I do not eat the abdomen any more!

My best advice is if you want to try it, make sure it is highly seasoned it will mask a lot of the unpleasentness of the abdomen, that is if you are adventurous to try it! But start with the legs and the cephalothorax first, those are the best parts that taste like crab. I love the spice, seasoning and garlic they put in and won't eat it any other way! I always just toss out the bitter abdomen first, or let my mate who is a local of Cambodia have it. Many of the locals love the bitter abdomen and especially if it has eggs in it; one chap told me the bitterness is like of herbs, but how I see it, is it is always a surprise and you never know what combination of bitter or bitter-sour with either black goo, eggs, or a semi-dehydrated dark paste you will get until you bite into it! Also try to get the freshest possible, some vendors sell left overs which has a stale oil taste. The freshness contributes to a lot of the taste.