Polemonium Reptans

by | Apr 16, 2018 | Polemonium Reptans

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Grilled honeycomb or grilled bee honeycomb with bee larvae is considered a street food delicacy in Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand.

Names

Known as hang peung in Thailand, it is referred to in Khmer language as baby bees kun khmom (កូនឃ្មុំត្រួយរាំងបែបខ្មែរ) or grilled honey khmom ang (Khmer: ឃ្មុំអាំង) and as maeng pherng in Laos.[citation needed]

Preparation

Honeycomb are harvested from the forest during rain season and they are seasoned with salt, chili, and spring onions, before being grilled.[1] Wrapped in a waxy green banana leaf with char around the edges, the honeycomb is shaped like a corncob and is served fresh off the grill with its white bee larvae, still housed in the honeycomb hexagons.[2] The bee larvae are voluntarily kept within the honeycomb during the preparation as in some Asian countries, honey bee worker or drone pupae (in their white stage) are consumed by humans after pickling or boiling.[3]

Taste

When cooked or dried, honeycombs tend to retain their shape and are agreeably crunchy, presenting an intense nutty flavour.[4] Described by one chef as tasting like “fatty honey,” the larvae survive on beebread, “the slightly fermented pollen stores of the hive,” lending to their subtly sweet flavor.[2] While it remains a widely popular delicacy during rain season in Southeast Asia, it has also found to be distasteful by many as people cringed after watching food bloggers eating grilled honey bee larvae.[5] It is not a cheap street food but an expensive delicacy.[6]

It is a very weird taste still, but it subtly mixes sweet and savory together and creates something truly unique [to] taste.[6]

Nutrition

Bee larvae packs a particularly strong punch of protein. Research into the nutritional value of honey bee brood indicates that it is high in carbohydrates and protein, contains all the essential amino acids. Brood is a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and the trace minerals iron, zinc, copper, selenium and most of the B-vitamins, as well as vitamin C and choline.[7]

References

  1. ^ Olla, Valérie (2023-07-21). "Don't Yuck my Yum!". Ock Pop Tok. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  2. ^ a b "Grilled Bee Honeycomb With Larvae". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  3. ^ Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Florença, Sofia G.; Correia, Paula M. R.; Anjos, Ofélia; Coelho, Catarina; Costa, Cristina A. (2022-09-07). "Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Broods: Composition, Technology and Gastronomic Applicability". Foods. 11 (18): 2750. doi:10.3390/foods11182750. ISSN 2304-8158. PMC 9497570. PMID 36140877.
  4. ^ Conrad, Ross (2018). "Save the Bees!". Bee Culture–The Magazine of American Beekeeping. Medina, OH (USA): Eastern Apicultural Society.
  5. ^ Grover, Neha (2024-02-19). "Internet Is Cringed After Watching This Food Blogger Eating Grilled Honey Bee Larvae". NDTV Food. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  6. ^ a b "Grilled bee larvae with honeycomb - Good, or Bad?". The Street Food Guy. 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  7. ^ Ghosh, Sampat; Jung, Chuleui; Meyer-Rochow, Victor Benno (2016-06-01). "Nutritional value and chemical composition of larvae, pupae, and adults of worker honey bee, Apis mellifera ligustica as a sustainable food source". Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology. 19 (2): 487–495. Bibcode:2016JAsPE..19..487G. doi:10.1016/j.aspen.2016.03.008. ISSN 1226-8615.
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