Gunungkidul gourmands gorge themselves on grasshopppers

By Gin Kurniawan

GUNUNGKIDUL, Yogyakarta (JP): With the price of most types of meat now beyond the spending power of many consumers, residents of Gunungkidul regency are turning their taste buds to a more common and cheaper form of sustenance.

It is no less than the humble grasshopper. The insects cram food stalls at Wonosari market and the bus station.

There are many takers -- consumers claim they pack a double punch of taste and nutrition.

"Grasshoppers can replace meat because they also have a high protein content," avowed Kustinah, an elementary school teacher in Tepus subdistrict.

Since the onset of the economic crisis, grasshoppers have risen in popularity as food. The price has likewise increased. Only five months ago, a bundle of 60 freshly caught grasshoppers cost Rp 1,500, but it is double today.

Only live insects are sold because dead animals are reportedly not as tasty when cooked.

"I don't know why but grasshoppers will taste delicious if they are fried alive," said Kustinah, 40.

Even the well-heeled are dishing up the animals on their plates. Many buyers arrive in swank cars to sample fare at the food stalls serving grasshoppers.

Prof. Kapti Rahayu, dean of the School of Agricultural Technology of Gadjah Mada University, said Gunungkidul residents were not alone; they are also eaten in the Philippines, particularly in areas close to Mount Pinatubo.

"In the Philippines, like in Gunungkidul, grasshoppers are also sold in bunches at roadsides."

Grasshoppers are safe to eat because of their vegetarian, leaf-based diet, she added. Grasshopper meat, just like cocoons, are believed to be high in protein. Rahayu once examined the protein content in cocoons, which are common food for people living in forests. Specific research on the protein of grasshoppers still needs to be conducted to discover its type, value to humans and whether it can be digested.

Grasshoppers are usually safe to consume except in individuals who may have allergic reactions, Rahayu said, recommending an antihistamine for people who felt unwell after dining on the insects.

Their popularity is a boon to grasshopper collectors. Last month, for example, they earned an average of Rp 5,000 daily, but now they can easily make Rp 10,000 a day. "If you are happy with Rp 10,000, then you only have to work half a day," said Suparjo, who has been collecting grasshoppers for a year.

Hundreds hunt for grasshoppers as their livelihood. They roam the forest in Gunungkidul. Tools of the trade are only a bamboo pole measuring 20 meters to 25 meters long and a glue substance used to catch rats.

Grasshoppers are usually found in tall trees such as teak, acacia, sesbania and trembesi. Glue is dabbed on the tip of the pole and held up to the tree until the insects become stuck. After a grasshopper is caught, two layers of its wings are removed. A wet piece of palm leaf rib is used to bundle about 60 grasshoppers.

The catch is sold by the roadside close to the forest or delivered to local food stalls specializing in grasshoppers.

"We sell grasshoppers to the food stalls at a lower price because we don't have to wait for buyers. At the roadside, a bunch of grasshoppers may fetch Rp 3,000, but a food stall owner will pay only Rp 2,000 per bunch."

Grasshoppers are easy to prepare, Supardjo said. Its belly is cut open and cleaned of its entrails. Then the grasshoppers are fried without any spices. They are delicious served plain, but are even more tasty when sprinkled with salt and garlic.

"Chips made of grasshoppers are also quite tasty," said Suparjo, a father of one.

Ten fried grasshoppers cost Rp 1,500, with an accompanying plate of rice Rp 500.

Only particular varieties of the insects make a good meal. Grasshopper collectors can differentiate between the animals, and say that leaf grasshoppers, green grasshoppers and twig (wood) grasshoppers are the most palatable.

Young grasshoppers are a no-no. "They may cause allergic rashes," Suparjo warned.

Grasshoppers are only caught in the dry season because there are many mature insects. In the monsoon season, grasshoppers are usually still young. The collectors then work in the rice fields or collect the eggs of red ants, which are sold as bird feed.

Although on average their earnings from selling grasshoppers have increased, grasshopper collectors complain about the increase in the price of rat's glue. One packet of the glue, which can last for a week, costs Rp 9,000, up from Rp 1,250 previously.

Grasshoppers are also becoming scarcer. Gunungkidul collectors no doubt wish they had the problem of people in Lampung, who were recently assaulted by millions of grasshoppers which laid waste to their crops.

"We have to go a long way to be able to collect many grasshoppers," Suparjo lamented.