Locusts: Agricultural Menace and Kosher Snack

By ⋅ March 8, 2013 ⋅ Post a comment
A swarm of locusts fly in Israel's Negev desert (Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

A swarm of locusts fly in Israel's Negev desert (Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

Can you name Israel’s southern desert that lies east of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula?

The question is inspired by news this week that Israel is battling swarms of locusts.

Locusts move with the winds blowing across the Sinai Peninsula and across the border into Israel.

It’s happened for thousands of years in this desert region, locust plagues appear in the Bible.

Locusts rest on a branch in Israel's Negev desert (Photo: Reuters)

Locusts rest on a branch in Israel’s Negev desert (Photo: Reuters)

This week Israel sent out planes to spray pesticides to prevent damage to fields and fruit orchards.

The eradication effort seems to be working. One Israeli farmer said, “It’s like an insect cemetery down here.”

This is going on in the region of the Negev Desert.

But there’s something else interesting to mention about locusts. Ronit Treatman writes a food blog called The Kosher Table for the Philadelphia Jewish Voice. In addition to being a menace, she says locusts are both tasty and kosher.

Here’s a recipe for Locust Chips (French Fries) courtesy of Ronit Treatman. Please send us any others you’d like to share below.

Ingredients:
12 Locusts
2 quarts peanut oil
Salt and pepper

Locusts in the skillet (Photo: Reuters)

Locusts in the skillet (Photo: Reuters)

Directions:
Boil water in a pot. Heat the peanut oil in a pan over medium-low heat until it reaches 325 degrees F. Blanch the locusts in the hot water, and remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the locusts to the hot oil, continuously stirring to avoid burning. When the locusts turn a golden brown, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove the head, wings, and legs before eating. Serve immediately. May be served with ketchup.

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Discussion

5 comments for “Locusts: Agricultural Menace and Kosher Snack”

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=635695709 Chaim Keren-Tzion

    2 quarts of oil for 12 locusts!!! Isn’t that bit too much?

    • http://www.facebook.com/ronit.treatman Ronit Treatman

      According to Serious Eats http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/perfect-french-fries-recipe.html, the best oil for deep frying is peanut oil.  Since these locusts are supposed to be prepared like french fries, I followed their indication.  Their recipe calls for 1 quart of peanut oil.  You could probably get away with using less oil, but I wanted the recipe to be foolproof.  I hope you try it!

  • Joseph

    Not every variety of locust is kosher. One must be careful and rely on those who have an unbroken tradition regarding which locust can be eaten

  • http://twitter.com/EarthJill Jill Spencer

    Forget the peanut oil.  Just pull off wings and hind legs, toast in buttered skillet until redish in colour, stirring occasionally.  Nice and crunchy.  Not greasy.

  • Richard Reeve

    Just get a handful of live locusts, pull of their wings and eat them alive and raw between two bits of bread and butter. That’s how a MAN eats locust. Afterwards, you can even use one of their long legs to pick your teeth clean.

    OR, if you want a real treat, you can get about 50 living locust and stick them in a blender with half a pint of milk and keep blending until you have a smooth brown liquid. Pour through a filter to collect of the bits (which you can use as a herb later) and drink the rest as a locust milkshake. Yummy, this puts hairs on your chest.

    BTW, Doesn’t McDonald’s make their burgers out of locust meat?