(Fried silkworm chrysalises)

It is one of the 18 oddities in Yunnan to prepare insects into decent dishes on table. But it's likely to upset and may even make newcomers squeamish when treated with any of these weird dishes. However, you can wish a hearty appetite from these delectable insect dishes.

Noshing through eateries and rowdy night barbecue stands around the province of Yunnan, you will find insects such as bamboo worms and locusts (grasshoppers) are available most of the time. These protein-rich, crunchy insect dishes can be chomped down with a glass of beer.

Insects are healthful for people, and they also taste good when properly cooked. They are believed to be much more efficient at converting plant matter into edible tablefare than livestock.

Silkworm chrysalises
In Dali, silkworm chrysalises are sold by bowls. This area gives some priority to silk producing because of the vast range of semi-dry lands that are suitable for planting corns and mulberry trees in summer. When cocoons are deprived of the silk covers, the chrysalises are left to be further used--normally scalded in hot water and then traded in the market. Sometimes, it is difficult to find a local trader because chrysalis is a seasonal byproduct. Fried silkworm chrysalis is drool-inducing and tastes very good as well, but it may also cause skin trouble for those who are allergic to high protein.

Deep fried in the kitchen, it can be smelt a mile away; and among a few insect dishes, nothing beats it. If lucky, you will chance upon chrysalises in some restaurants or eateries of Dali.

Bamboo worms
"Bamboo worm” is the local name for the grubworms parasitising on bamboos; it Latin name is Chilo frusciden-talis Hampson. This kind of mollusk is available in most restaurants and barbecue stands of the entire province of Yunnan. They do resemble to the bird feeds you may’ve seen in the Jingxing Free Market of Kunming. My first time for braving it was in Xinping County, Yuxi City, two years ago when I and some friends finished one-day tour in Mopan Mt. Instead of visiting a tea house, we went to local night barbecue in the county seat, and ordered some things for snack; the fried worm was one of them, and I remember asking for another after finishing the first plate in 15 minutes.

Locusts
Another most-liked insect is locust. These bugs usually feed on crops such as rice. In many folktales of Yunnan’s ethnic minorities, locusts used to damage crops, that is why the torch festival is spent to commemorate the triumph over them (Locusts were said to be expelled by torches in many places). With the limbs cut off, these six-legged bugs are usually deep fried and go with a drink on the barbecue. In Yuxi, Wenshan, Dali, Honghe and Xishuangbanna, where rice is widely grown, locusts are on the live menu of night barbecue stands as well as restaurants or eateries.

Ethnic minorities such as the Hani, Dai, Jingpo and Deang in Honghe, Dehong and Xishuangbanna prefectures have had the dietary habit of eating insects for a long time. In addition to locusts and bamboo worms, ant eggs, bee larva and even golden spiders can all be cooked as delicacies.

Unacceptable and probably terrifying, these dishes surprisingly turn out to be nutritious and goluptious. And normally going with liquor or wine, they call for one’s courage anyway for a try.