Pov Tevon is standing under a tree, poking around in an ants’ nest three meters above the ground with a long bamboo stick. A bucket filled with salt water is attached to the stick, the ants and their eggs fall from their nest into this water. “It’s not that many eggs,” comments Mao Vuthy, who is standing by, “we’re a bit late. Most of them have already hatched.” He would rather eat the eggs, they taste sweet, the ants themselves are rather sour, especially if you bite their behinds. They look like a large, light brown ball of yarn lying in the water. The two men fish it out, clean the leaves and toss it in a pan with spring onions and garlic.
Great fried ants!
Fried ants are a common dish in rural Cambodia. They taste surprisingly sweet, sweet with sweeteners, are as crispy as fried onions, only with a sour note on the finish.