Business booms for farmers of Indonesia’s most bizarre food

[Reashot Xigwin]

How would you like your ants' eggs sir? Business booms for farmers of Indonesia’s most bizarre food

• The ant eggs are an alternative food that is rich in protein and vitamins
• Local market demand for the ants and their eggs in Indonesia very high
• Breeders produce 300 pounds of eggs per month
• They can be cooked in a soup or put in a salad

They sound like a perfect addition to the supermarket trolley of the health conscious - rich in protein, packed with vitamins, low-fat, and straight from the natural source.

But there are not many people in the Western world who would be keen on throwing a jar of ant eggs in with their weekly shop.

However business is booming for ant breeders in Indonesia, with local market demand for the ants and their eggs in Indonesia at an all-time high.

They sound like a perfect addition to the supermarket trolley of the health conscious- rich in protein, packed with vitamins and straight from the natural source

But there are not many people in the Western world who would be keen on throwing a jar of ant eggs in with their weekly shop

But business is booming for ant breeders in Indonesia, with local market demand for the ants and their eggs in Indonesia at an all-time high

Breeders can produce 300 pounds of eggs and hundreds of thousands of ants per month.

The ants are put in a clear jar and then placed upside down in a humid room - the temperature needs to be high for the ants in the colony.

Once they have laid eggs they are pulled out by the breeders and the eggs are put into jars to sell.

A worker holds up some of the breeder eggs in Bogor, Indonesia. Breeders can produce 300 pounds of eggs and hundreds of thousands of ants per month

The ants are put in a clear jar and then placed upside down in a humid room

A worker checks the jars containing the ants in a room which had the humidity adjusted to suit the ants in the colony

They are then packed off to a local market in Bogor, Indonesia, where the demand is high.

The ant eggs are an alternative food that is rich in protein and vitamins.

They can be used in a variety of recipes - some people boil them in a soup - the 'texture of the eggs should be comparable to a soft boiled chicken egg.'

Another popular way to use them is to put a few tablespoons in a salad and mix them into the leaves.

A worker arranges jars containing the ants for sale. The ant eggs are an alternative food that is rich in protein and vitamins

Local market demand for the ants and their eggs in Indonesia very high

Ants form part of dishes in a variety of cultures across the world

Ants form part of dishes in a variety of cultures - honeypot ants are dug up from the ground and eaten raw by aboriginal peoples in Australia.

Leafcutter ants, also known as Hormigas Culonas in Spanish are eaten mainly in South America - in Colombia, they are sold like popcorn at cinemas.

Lemon ants are found in the Amazon jungle and are said to taste like just that lemons.

Edible insects are being promoted as a low-fat, high-protein food for people, pets and livestock.

According to the U.N., they come with appetising side benefits: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and livestock pollution, creating jobs in developing countries and feeding the millions of hungry people in the world.

Scientists who have studied the nutritional value of edible insects have found that red ants, small grasshoppers and some water beetles pack (gram-per-gram or ounce-per-ounce) enough protein to rank with lean ground beef while having less fat per gram.

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TIME FOR TEA: ANT SALAD

3 tbsp ant eggs
2 spring onions, finely sliced
3 red Asian shallots, finely sliced
2 lemongrass stems, white part only, finely sliced
1 small handful coriander (cilantro), sliced
10 mint leaves, sliced
10 Vietnamese mint leaves, sliced
3 sawtooth coriander (cilantro) leaves, sliced
1 tsp padek (Laotian fermented fish sauce)
½ tsp fish sauce
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp toasted rice powder
juice of 1 lime
10 small Chinese cabbage leaves

Combine all the ingredients, except the cabbage leaves, in a mixing bowl.
Toss together well, then transfer to a serving platter. Serve the cabbage leaves with the salad, using them as a 'spoon' to eat the salad with.

Bon appetit