Fried Tarantulas in Phnom Penh Restaurants, Cambodia

Cambodians also do not shun lavish gifts of nature. One of the most common options for street food in this country are fried tarantulas. Fortunately, because of the hot climate the country doesn’t experience the lack of delicacy. Large quantities of tarantulas are crawling everywhere. Once, local people have started to eat spiders because of the lack of other food. For many years, they coveted a dish so much, that even today it remains at the peak of its popularity.

Spiders are fried whole in a large volume of oil, then spread on a large dish. A huge plate with a pile of fried black spiders can be seen at all the major markets of Cambodia. The dish became a favorite delicacy not only for many local residents, but also for tourists. Gourmets who dared to taste the fried tarantula, note that the top is very crisp, and the meat is very soft and sticky.

Ping, which is the local name of fried spiders, reached a huge popularity in 60s of the last century, when Cambodia suffered from a mass starvation. Local residents could do nothing, but catch spiders crawling all over the place, fry them, and eat. Today, tarantulas are cooked in a more complex way. Beforehands, they are soaked in the marinade of salt and sugar. Before frying, a little garlic is added to oil. These simple seasonings gives the dish juicy shades, as tarantulas cooked without spices are completely tasteless. Next - Swallow Nest in Hong Kong Restaurants