Within the concave of a nut,
Brown as his tooth;—a little moth,
Late fatten’d in a piece of cloth.’
Herrick’s Hesperides, 1658.
COLEOPTERA.
Many larvæ of insects, and especially of beetles, are eaten in different parts of the world.
The grub of the palm weevil (Cordylia palmarum), which is the size of the thumb, has long been in request in the East and West Indies. The natives of Surinam roast and eat them as something exquisite. In Jamaica, where it is known as the grou-grou worm, I have seen it eaten commonly. A grub named Macauco is also there in request at the principal tables. It is eaten both by whites and blacks, who empty, wash, and roast them, and find them delicious. A similar insect is dressed at Mauritius, and eaten by all classes.
An old writer—Brookes, On the Properties and Uses of Insects, 1772, says—‘They are eaten by the French, in the West Indies, after they have been roasted before the fire, when a small wooden spit has been thrust through them. When they begin to be hot, they powder them with a crust of rasped bread, mixed with salt, and a little pepper and nutmeg. This powder keeps in the fat, or at least, sucks it up; and when they are done enough, they are served up with orange juice. They are highly esteemed by the French, as excellent eating.’
The larva, or grub, of one of the species of beetles which infest cocoa-nut trees, is called Tucuma, or Grugou, in British Guiana. It is about two or three inches long, and three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and the head is black. They are reckoned a great delicacy by wood-cutters and epicures of the country, and they are generally dressed by frying them in a pan. By some they are preferred in a raw state, and after seizing them by the black head, they are dipped in lime-juice, and forthwith swallowed.