Missing something from your diet? How about a scorpion with those spuds?
Lovely India restaurant manager Pardeep Singh Banwait thinks he's found a special dish that will tempt the tastebuds of the exotic connoisseur.
"We wanted to come up with something for the adventurous person, something you
won't find anywhere else in Rotorua or the Bay of Plenty.
"We spoke to our suppliers and found that you could import scorpions to New Zealand - so we added them to our menu."
Scorpions are traditionally eaten by the people of southern India and on the islands of Nicobar and Andaman - and now by the inhabitants of Rotorua.
"We will use them as a garnish on a curry dish, as a sidedish pan fried with garlic and ginger or with a shot of tequila or vodka," Mr Banwait said.
The scorpions they use are farmed in Mexico specifically for human consumption. They are marinated in alcohol that neutralises the venom. "I can assure you they are not poisonous, everyone who has tried one is still alive," Mr Banwait said.
The burning question is how do they taste? Simply described they are woody, kind of nutty and surprisingly meaty.
A scorpion is an arthropod (has eight legs), as are spiders, mites and ticks. All species of scorpion possess venom but are relatively harmless to humans. Human deaths normally occur in the young, elderly, or infirm as scorpions are generally unable to deliver enough venom to kill healthy adults.
I was pleased to read that, but if I am not at work tomorrow, I know who to blame.
