Where Do Spiders Taste Food?

In Skuon, Cambodia, people can buy tarantulas for eating. This is a long-held tradition. The practice is said to have begun during the Khmer Rouge regime.

The spiders are deep-fried, rolled in sugar and garlic, and served to locals and tourists. The venom is poisonous, but it is not dangerous to humans. The venom only partially digests the prey. The venom also paralyzes the prey.

Many cultures in the world eat insects. Thai people eat water bugs, grasshoppers, and bamboo worms. The Thai people also eat silk larvae and ants.

Some spiders are scavengers. In the tropics, they are known to take small birds and lizards. A few are also known to catch fish.

Other species will eat dead or dying arthropods or seeds. Some will even eat vertebrates. The Bagheera kiplingi spider, for example, eats nectar, sap, and Beltian bodies.

While the practice of eating spiders isn’t common in the U.S., it is popular in Thailand and Cambodia. One particular tarantula, the ah pieng, is fried and resembles crunchy prawns. It’s sometimes pickled in wine.

In Cambodia, tarantulas are sold in the market and eaten by locals and tourists. They are also served at restaurants. In Siem Reap, a cafe called the Bugs Cafe serves deep-fried spiders and other insect-based meals.

Although people do not eat spiders in their sleep, some can be found in human beds. The typical house spider kills pests and is harmless to humans.