Ecuador 2021- El Puyo. Chontacuros

The Amazon forest has been for all my life one of my dream destinations.

In 2021, I finally got a sprinkle of it.

I’m in Puyo, Ecuador, that is considered the door of the Amazon. It’s not the wild deep Amazon, but for beginners like me, that are for the first time in a rainforest, starting from here is a good idea so that I feel thrilled and safe at the same time.

As I’m not only a traveller, but an enthusiastic gastronaut, that needs at least to try once everything, there is a specific dish that I really want to eat. 

It is typical from the Amazon and it is an important source of proteins there. Furthermore, the local people consider that this food has specific benefits for the respiratory system and that’s why they claim that Covid-19 had a limited impact in that area. It is 2021 and Covid-19 is still ravaging the planet.

So we arrive in Puyo and we go to look for chontacuros. 

What is chontacuros?

Have you seen the Lion King? When Simba meets Timon and Pumba for the first time, they tell him that if he wants to stay with them, he needs to eat like them. 

Good, you are getting an idea of what I’m going to eat…

The term is kichwa, one of the native languages in the Amazon region and it is composed by two words: « chonta » that means « palm tree » and « curo » that means « worm » or « larva ». It is a big edible beetle larva. 

Even in Puyo it is not so easy to find a place that sells them. We ask information around and we are redirected at the bus terminal. So we arrive there and in effect we can see a few food stands where it is possible to eat chontacuros. 

We choose one and we make our order. They cost 1 USD each, we are 5 and as the aim is to try them we order one portion to share. I’m traveling with an Ecuadorian family from Quito, but only one of them has already tried them. «  No son malos, son como camarones ». « They are not bad, they remind shrimps » she explains.  

Though they can be eaten also row, I opt for the grilled version.

If you are a sensitive animals right advocate, I suggest that you stop here, don’t read further and don’t look at the video.

Our chef puts 8 larvae on the grill. Without chopping their heads first. That means they have similar destiny than a lobster, as they are cooked alive.

Once they are ready, we start eating them and in effect, I have no complaints at all. The texture is really the same as the one of a shrimp and though the taste is new for me, I can’t say it is bad. I can definitely eat them again and in fact, I take a second one. 

The funniest part is the look that we get from the table next to ours: 3 big tall Western men watching us with a shocked, astonished expression. I spot them and I can’t help laughing.

Next time I’ll come, I’ll eat them row. Alive.