It started with a dare. A couple we were travelling with in Phnom Penh dared us to try some deep fried tarantula, supposedly a tasty Cambodian delicacy. Cambodians stopped considering tarantulas as bugs and started eating them as food during the Khmer Rouge regime when food became scarce. By the time the bloody regime was over, these black hairy creatures had already cemented their position as everyday fare.
We called our friends on their dare and dropped by Romdeng restaurant, a fine-dining establishment that specializes in Khmer cuisine like fish amokand the like. Romdeng is run by the Mith Samlanh Friends NGO, an organization that trains street youth for an eventual career in the hospitality industry. We figured this would be a good place to enjoy our deep fried tarantulas and at least get some good karma coming our way.
Our tarantulas arrived on an immaculately white plate and they were black, hairy and fried to a crisp. Obviously no effort was taken to conceal what they were as they were presented to us whole and in all their eight-legged glory. This must be what being a contestant on Fear Factor feels like. Thank goodness these things were at least cooked. Stifling the beginnings of a cringe, we partially closed our eyes and simultaneously popped tarantula legs into our mouths (hey there’s a lot of those to go around!) Surprisingly, they were tasty and we felt like we were crunching our way through some soft shell crabs or crablets. What really made the dish sing, however, was the accompanying lime dipping sauce redolent with crushed Kampot black pepper. Who would have thought an arachnid could taste so good? Pass the Angkor beer please.
Romdeng Restaurant, 74 Street 174, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Tel. 095-219565
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