And it promises to be crunchier than your breakfast cereal.
We’ve been told that bugs are the food of the future. They’re a cheap, high-protein alternative that could very well solve food problems, provided you have the stomach for consuming the little beasts like we do.
And when it comes to bugs, none is more popular in Japan than the Japanese rhinoceros beetle (kabutomushi). Often kept as pets, enthusiasts may breed and even pit them against others in bug wrestling matches.
This beloved beetle recently made its way into the menu of one izakaya (Japanese-style pub) in Yokohama called “Rare Beast Pub“. Like its namesake, the establishment serves all manner of oddities from sea turtle eggs to scorpions to bear meat. The Japanese rhinoceros beetle is one of the quirky items found there, and served as a pair with slices of lemon, it will satisfy even the most hardcore of thrill seekers.
▼ Nothing like a pair of giant bugs after a day’s work.
食用カブトムシ入荷!薬などを一切使わず珍獣屋の為に育てられたカブトムシです!日本で初めて食用カブトムシが食べられるのは横浜珍獣屋!お盆期中も珍獣屋は激熱です!皆様のご来店お待ちしております。#珍獣屋 pic.twitter.com/0Mc336LzCC
— 珍獣屋〜横浜本店&渋谷店〜 (@noge_chinjuya) August 9, 2017
The tweet reads:
“Edible Japanese rhinoceros beetles are here! Bred just for our Yokohama’s Rare Beast Pub, these antibiotic-free rhinoceros beetles are the first of its kind in Japan! It’s scorching hot at Rare Beast Pub even during Obon. Be sure to drop by!”
Comments from Japanese netizens were mixed:
“Imagining the innards of a beetle creeps me out more than cockroaches.”
“I actually want to try this, it looks seriously delicious.”
“I just want to know what the taste is like.”
“I bet this is juicier than cockroaches, I’m going to try it.”
“It’ll probably taste like soil.”
Given the izakaya’s reputation for serving exotic meats, the rhinoceros beetle actually seems tame in comparison to some of the other items on their menus:
▼ Sea turtle eggs
ウミガメの卵入荷!限定120個!!超絶濃厚卵かけご飯食べてみたくないですか?#珍獣屋 pic.twitter.com/fYbxq0lEYu
— 珍獣屋〜横浜本店&渋谷店〜 (@noge_chinjuya) July 25, 2017
▼ Whale testicle sashimi
クジラの金玉入荷しました!クジラの金玉は刺身で食うのが当たり前に旨い!プルンプルンの金玉を生姜醤油で食べる高級珍味です!皆様のご来店お待ちしております。#珍獣屋 pic.twitter.com/KVkh0os8ku
— 珍獣屋〜横浜本店&渋谷店〜 (@noge_chinjuya) July 19, 2017
▼ Edible Axolotl
食用ウーパールーパー入荷しました!今現在日本で食用ウーパールーパーが食べられるのは横浜珍獣屋だけです!*前日までにお席の予約をされてるお客様だけがオーダーできる限定品です。予約してないお客様はオーダーできないのでお気をつけ下さい。#珍獣屋 pic.twitter.com/bNg5RzcssJ
— 珍獣屋〜横浜本店&渋谷店〜 (@noge_chinjuya) July 6, 2017
▼ Coral reef snake
海ヘビ入荷しました!珍獣屋の為に1年かけて集めてもらった激レア食材です!炙り焼きした海ヘビにニンニクを絡ませレモン汁を掛けて食べると最高!海の肉のような食感も最高!明日からメニューに登場します!#珍獣屋 pic.twitter.com/oQD7mVfuZc
— 珍獣屋〜横浜本店&渋谷店〜 (@noge_chinjuya) June 1, 2017
▼ Worm pudding
珍獣屋唯一のスイーツ!「異物混入プリン」90%のお客様が最後の最後でオーダーする大人気プリン!味よりも、写メの為におひとついかが?#珍獣屋 pic.twitter.com/s2xEwVjSNe
— 珍獣屋〜横浜本店&渋谷店〜 (@noge_chinjuya) May 16, 2017
And if you still fancy a walk on the even wilder side, perhaps supplementing your diet with some bug sushi from the Tokyo Bug-Eating Festival might just do the trick.
Store information
Chinjuya (Rare Beast Pub) / 珍獣屋
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama-shi, Chu-ku, Noge-cho, 1-45
Harbor Kosan Building 3, 2F
神奈川県横浜市中区野毛町1-45港興産ビル3号館2F
Open: 5 p.m.-11 p.m. (reservation required)
Source: Twitter/@noge_chinjuya
Top image: Wikimedia Commons/Gombe
Leave a Reply