Taiada Silvania is a unique cheese made by a single producer in Sao Paulo's Caçapava municipality, who thought mixing milk with native leafcutter ants would be a great idea. Camila Almeida, the owner and founder of
IDK if those brown spheres are actually ants, but they do appear to be roughly the right size for th ant type in the article. I was sure they were just stock photos of cheese but maybe not.
Have you eaten them and did you enjoy the taste and texture?
I’ve eaten ants before, but just the little guys. The size of these things, the tactile experience of biting into an abdomen, would give me hesitation.
It’s on my bucket list. Try are usually fried with manioc flour and seasonings, served as a side dish. I’ve tried something similar that used bacon instead of ants, it’s delicious. The flour becomes crunchy itself, so I imagine the ants would not feel out of place.
IDK if those brown spheres are actually ants, but they do appear to be roughly the right size for th ant type in the article. I was sure they were just stock photos of cheese but maybe not.
I can confirm içá ants (specifically their butts) are eaten toasted or fried in several places in Brazil, most notably in the Amazon region.
Have you eaten them and did you enjoy the taste and texture?
I’ve eaten ants before, but just the little guys. The size of these things, the tactile experience of biting into an abdomen, would give me hesitation.
It’s on my bucket list. Try are usually fried with manioc flour and seasonings, served as a side dish. I’ve tried something similar that used bacon instead of ants, it’s delicious. The flour becomes crunchy itself, so I imagine the ants would not feel out of place.