Foreigners can never get rid of this underground pest, yet in China it has become a top-tier delicacy
In rural areas, farmers make their living by growing crops. Farming depends on the weather, so they not only have to pray for favorable conditions but also deal with pests that damage crop growth. When farmers see this pest, they always wish they could kill them all to stop them from causing more damage. But many things have two sides. On one hand, these pests are hated to the bone, but on the other hand, they are an excellent source of protein, so they have also become food on people's plates.
Today I will introduce a pest whose scientific name is grub. When it comes to grubs, you may not know them, but some people are more familiar with scarab beetles. In fact, grubs are the larvae of scarab beetles. In rural areas, many people also call them "hen bugs," because these insects are very plump and hens that eat them lay more eggs, so they are often fed to hens. A grub is a soft little worm. The grubs we see often have their bodies curved into a C shape. Most grubs found are white and have some fine hairs on their bodies. For farmers, grubs are extremely harmful. Every year in spring and autumn, grubs will chew the crops that farmers have worked hard to plant into a mess, and sometimes they even eat the seeds that have just been sown, causing gaps in the crop seedlings, which affects the farmers' harvest.
These grubs burrow everywhere in the soil, and their daily food sources are plant roots as well as plant stems and leaves that fall to the ground. As long as farmers find grubs in the field, they will definitely stomp them to death to prevent them from damaging the crops again. Do not underestimate this inconspicuous insect. When there are enough of them, they can directly affect the crop harvest. Moreover, grubs are not only found in China; they exist in many countries around the world, and local farmers are helpless too. This insect has become a global pest. Foreigners also find it very troublesome and cannot get rid of it completely, especially in peanut-producing areas, where there are always many of these insects.
In China, no one knows who was the first person to try eating grubs. It really counts as dark cuisine, but according to people who have eaten them, after grubs are deep-fried, they taste crispy and nutritious, and the flavor is actually very good. In addition, when grubs grow up, they become scarab beetles. Deep-fried scarab beetles are also a top-tier delicacy, crispy in taste. Before eating, remove the shell and wings, and it is still a specialty dish!
It is said that grubs growing in the wild can also be eaten raw, with no strange smell, and they are also a high-protein food. However, the only one brave enough to try it is Bear Grylls. Most people probably cannot bring themselves to eat insects raw.