Giant Water Bug Food Delicacy
A Bug Stall, Bug Cart, Bug Truck, or whatever you want to name them, is sure to be there if you take a stroll through Pattaya at night, especially in the busy Walking Street, Soi 8, Soi 7, and Soi 6 parts of the city. You may find one of Thailand’s favorite delicacies on these bug vendors, including boiling, fried, roast, steaming, and occasionally still-living insects, grubs, arachnids, frogs, and reptiles. The “Big Water Bug,” also known as mang dah or malaeng da na in Thai, is one such insect (see the photographs below).
The “giant water bug” is prized in Thailand because it can be eaten or used as an ingredient in well-known Thai sauces like Nam Pla Mang Da and Nam Prik Mang Da. It is a little bigger than the average bug and is occasionally mistaken for cooked cockroaches.Water bugs are dangerous predators and frequently unsettling pool guests.
When spotted swimming in a public pool or roaming a mall parking lot, they frequently give quite the fright.
They are big and can be aggressive, but ultimately all they want is a good, clean place to live.
These insects love to live in ponds, lakes, and ditches in the wild; any slow-moving freshwater body works well for them as a habitat.
Two siphons, or breathing tubes, that protrude from the back of the abdomen of these insects allow them to wait patiently for their meal before snatching it up. They are aggressive and would do anything to get a food, as was already indicated.
The male giant water insect is preferred as an addition to Nam Pla Mang Da and Nam Prik Mang Da due to its distinctive “sweet” aroma produced by the pheromones it employs to attract a partner, whereas the female giant water bug is typically eaten as a snack in Thailand
Huge water bugs are reported to be particularly appetizing, with a flavor that has frequently been compared favorably to scallops.
Native to Thailand, giant water bugs are sometimes raised commercially and are particularly popular as a snack in Issan (North-East Thailand). They can be caught using nets or light
Water Bug Information
- The giant water bug is also referred to as “malaeng da na” or “meng da” in Thailand. Its scientific and botanical names are Lethocerus indicus.
- The gigantic water bug is not just a well-liked snack in Thailand, but it is also well-liked in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
- The gigantic water bugs, like many other insects consumed in Thailand, are a great source of protein and vitamins.
- They are ferocious predators that feed on small fish, amphibians, and crustaceans in their natural habitat.
- Similar to a praying mantis, the huge water insect grabs its prey with its front legs and injects it with a potent toxin that causes the victim’s internal organs to break down.
- People can and will get bitten by giant water bugs, which are said to cause excruciating, scorching pain.
- They have excellent flying and swimming skills.
- In the United States, giant water bugs are frequently referred to as “toe biters” because they bite swimmers’ toes.
- They have been known to pretend to be dead and release fluid from their anus when threatened in order to appear less desirable.
- Giant water bugs have a 5-inch maximum length.
