I'm just gonna eat worms

Literally.  But not because no one likes me.  It's because worms are considered a delicacy in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador.  They also are high in protein and are supposed to help with asthma.  But I'll stop with the propaganda trying to convince people to eat worms.  The basic fact is that grub worms are a healthy staple of the diet of most families in the jungle, and they have become a delicacy that is served to curious tourists willing to try unusual food.

Last week when we visited the family of Bolivar Andi, an indigenous farmer in Guacamayos, his wife was preparing maito--a dish made of palm heart and some form of meat (in this case worms) seasoned with salt and wrapped in a palm leaf to cook on an open fire.  They showed us how they pull out the animal's intestines and then cover them with heart of palm.  When we asked where those squirming fat gusanos (worms) came from, Bolivar took us out to the forest that surrounds his house and pointed us to a palm tree he had chopped down about three months earlier.  Over time, the larvae grow into the worms we had seen inside, and they chop out 2-foot sections of the tree to harvest 5-10 worms each time.  As soon as Bolivar opened a new section of the tree trunk, we saw one of the worms, and Lenin, one of the Ecuadorians with us, picked it up and offered to prepare it for us to eat.  He carefully snapped off the head, pulled out the guts, and then asked, "who wants to try a worm?"

Everyone was a bit hesitant, so one of Bolivar's daughters demonstrated how to bite off a piece of chewy skin.  And yes, I followed her lead.  Let's just say that I'd eat that again over guinea pig, but it's definitely a new experience.  Back inside the house, we also had the opportunity to eat the maito, which I would say is much more appealing and actually quite delicious with the palm heart flavor baked through.  It's not something I plan to do everyday, but when I'm in the rainforest again, I'm just gonna eat worms. :)

And now for the story in pictures:

Bolivar's wife sprinkles salt over the worms mixed in with palm heart

Lenin opens up a section of the felled palm tree to find worms

I'm going for it - first time ever eating a worm

Biting off a little piece.  Yes, that is a worm in my mouth!

Bob checks out the unusual food selection for the day

This little guy absolutely loved eating the rest of the worm.  He was definitely savoring it.

Trying maito hot off the fire