Wildest Bite - Escamoles

Have you ever eaten a food that pushed you out of your comfort zone? What is the most unique or strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Eating escamoles, edible ant larvae, in Mexico City definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone!

Where did you eat them?
I ate the escamoles at Quintonil in Mexico City, prepared by Chef Jorge Vallejo. Since I have a dislike of escargot eggs, I was not too keen about trying ant larvae, but since it is considered a delicacy, and the caviar of Mexico, I did.

Did you go into it willingly by ordering them, were you persuaded to try them, or were you dared?
I was tempted by Chef Vallejo’s offer to try escamoles as it was one of the courses on his tasting menu. It almost reminded me of shirako in Japan, which is the milt (sperm sacs) of the male cod.

Were you surprised by them? Would you recommend them?
I was very much surprised by the escamoles – happily surprised. There was an unusual taste of lemongrass, a bit nutty and fatty, almost as if the eggs had absorbed whatever the ants had eaten. Chef Vallejo’s preparation of the escamoles was delicious, married with charred avocado and kale. I would recommend it as a tasting, but not as a main course. It really isn’t about the quantity. Like caviar, it is more about each egg bringing pleasure. Perhaps going into it as a blind tasting would make it easier for some. The fact of knowing you are about to eat ant larvae naturally makes one feel squeamish.

Have you ordered them since or attempted to re-create them in any way?
I have not had the chance to eat escamoles since, or recreate it. In New York, we do not have access to edible ant larvae.