Colombia: Leticia – Eating Live Suri Worms
One of the most bizarre delicacies of the Amazon are the suri worms aka palm grubs. These are the larvae of the cocotero beetles that drill into palm trunks and deposit eggs that hatch into suri larvae that feed on palm bark. The grubs are big – 5-8cm / 2-3 inches long and have long been considered delicacy around the Amazon, eaten in large amounts, grilled and raw. Very nutritious in protein and vitamins, they are also thought to cure all the possible diseases imaginable. So of course we had to try! You use salt and lime on a live grub, and then must bite off its head before eating it (they have quite huge pincers on their mouths and can bite you). Once done with that, you eat the gooey inside which taste like sweet oyster somewhat. We both tried it, and ideally it’s not something you’d want to repeat!
