Through some serendipitous website
surfing in the summer of 2005 I contacted an American teaching English
in Shandong province, China. He sent me both information on the
use of insects as food there, and some of the foods themselves (most
exciting, actually). This is his description of what's available:
Live caterpillars [likely Saturnid?]
in the marketplace
I encountered these large caterpillars in restaurants
of Shandong province, China on or about July 1, 2005. They are
called "dou cong", which means "bean worm",
I believe. They are prepared by frying, which vaporizes the inner
organs and leaves a chewy caterpillar carcass. They have a mild
taste and are consumed along with a variety of vegetables, noodles
and seafoods. On one occasion they were served sprinkled with
sugar.
The cooked results on the table
A typical Chinese lunch, including silkworm
pupae
In early September I received the package,
which included both pre-packaged food consisted and "home-made"
stuff. The store-bought items are vacuum-packed silkworm pupae. The
home-made items were caterpillars (of a Sphingid species, probably
Clanis bilineata) and scorpions (quite possibly Buthus martensii)
that had been purchased fresh in the marketplace, cooked, and preserved
in jars of brand-name honey. There were also cicada nymphs, which
were sent dry-packed.
Here are the caterpillars and scorpions on the
plate:
My contact reports that these products,
though seasonal, are readily available in the marketplace. He urged
me to learn about the process by which they could be officially brought
into the U.S. as the delicacies they are considered to be in China.