Derek Eats That! Cockroaches

“Don’t be afraid of what I eat — be afraid of what I won’t eat.” Of course eating cockroaches is not quite as delicious as you might think. (And this is coming from someone who has eaten bull penis, raw cobra hearts and goat brain, among other things.)

New episode of Derek Eats That! .... cockroaches

Why did you eat cockroach?

Why not? My friend’s wife’s Thai family was coming in from Isan (the most rural and non-touristy province in Thailand) and they brought with them a bunch of fresh bugs from the village.

Derek Freal eating cockroaches

  Remember: eat village bugs, not city bugs. Big difference.

Same goes when eating rat. (But I’ll save that video for next week.) 😉 City bugs and rats live off trash and shit, whereas villages critters are all natural. Just think of village bugs and rats as the upscale organic version.

How do you cook cockroaches?

We pan-fried them using a little bit of vegetable. Just a quick light fry to give them more of a crunch. Simple as that.

Derek Freal eating cockroaches

What do cockroaches taste like?

First off, the head and body have two completely different tastes. The head is surprisingly hard and difficult to chew/swallow. The body is filled with a little bit of stuffing (cockroach guts I hope — would rather not think about all the worse things the alternatives could be) and is much chewier. Dare I even say more tasty than the top half of the body?

(Unfortunately this is about as descriptive as my culinary writing gets — there is a reason I’m not a food blogger) 😉

Derek Freal eating cockroaches


Would you eat cockroach again?

Short answer: no with a ‘but’. Long answer: yes with an ‘if’.

Maybe somebody out there knows of a better way to prepare cockroach — or of a more delicious cockroach species then whatever is found in the forests of Isan.

New episode of Derek Eats That! .... cockroaches

And now finally…..the video. Enjoy!

Just don’t blame me if you lose your appetite after watching it 😉

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About Derek Freal

"Some people eat, others try therapy. I travel."   Cultural enthusiast. Adrenaline junkie. Eater of strange foods. Chasing unique and offbeat adventures around the world since 2008. Derek loves going to new destinations where he does not speak a word of the local language and must communicate with hand gestures, or places where he is forced to squat awkwardly to poo -- supposedly its healthier and more efficient. For more information (about Derek, not squat pooing) including popular posts and videos, check out his bio.

38 thoughts on “Derek Eats That! Cockroaches”

  1. Top work mate. If there’s one thing that I am really not sure I could handle it’s been roaches but thanks for the tip to start with the back end should I ever have to try them. Respect

    Reply
    • The head was tough and rough, hard to chew….the back half was filled with mushed stuff. Unsure how to describe the taste but the mush was slightly less disgusting than the head

      Reply
  2. Deeeeeeerek! Ewww!

    I’ve had goats brain in soup, crocodile meat, and snake, snake blood, horse meat, and porcupine.

    I tried to have scorpions and insects in Thailand, but I just couldn’t. You looked as if you were just about to vomit though but kudos to you for trying. I don’t blame you. It’s the head and the feelers, and the bony legs. Your face was pretty epic. Thank goodness you could pick the legs off! Aaaaah!

    Reply
    • Oh so you are an adventurous eater, that is great to hear 😀 Was crocodile in the Philippines? How was porcupine? And where was it? Never encountered that before.

      Everything else you named is delicious. Except scorpions, those aren’t that tasty. You didn’t miss much except a good photo opp 😉 Other bugs are more delicious, especially grasshoppers. Eating bugs is certainly taboo in the western world but they’re a good source of protein and could be used to fight global hunger. Just avoid the cockroaches.

      Hey want to know a secret? This was filmed on Christmas Eve 2016 but I only just now was able to watch it without gagging. Six months later. In fact the first few months after that I had horrible flashbacks any time I saw a cockroach on the street at night. It was terrible. Hard to get past. Not recommended.

      Reply
  3. Damn derek!!! I was cringing when I was watching you eat that cockroach!!! My friends was concerned when they saw my face and they thought I was watching an horror movie but they all laughed at me when I told them it was just you eating a “regular” cockroach. Anyways, thanks for informing this to us? (I guess. Lol) looking forward to more of your “extreme” culinary adventures!!!

    Reply

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