Termites Taste Like Oregano

You can’t travel to a foreign land without tasting the local cuisine… When our safari guide at Kariega Game Reserve in South Africa pulled the vehicle over to the side of the dirt road, we at first assumed we were in for another wildlife sighting. In reality it was just a quick snack break. She hopped out of the car, took out her knife, and cut a hole in the side of a 5-foot tall mound of clay. Immediately tiny termites starting escaping from the incision and she grabbed one and ate it. Not to be outdone, we stepped up to the plate and sampled a termite of our own. On Timon and Pumba’s slimy-crunchy grub spectrum they were fully on the crunchy end, but the most surprising part was that they had a shocking amount of flavor. They tasted exactly like oregano. Even though oregano is a top-notch spice, one termite each was plenty for us. So if you were ever wondering what South African mound-building termites taste like, consider your curiosity satisfied.