The land of Papua is famous for its traditional foods. Not only have unique and diverse, but some of the foods are also extreme. Raw worms, ant’s nests, and Cheating shrimp are not everyone’s cup of tea. However, tasting extreme foods in West Papua will add more adventure to your trip! Get to know the extreme foods in this article.
Sago Caterpillar
When we talk about extreme foods in West Papua, it’s impossible not to talk about sago caterpillars. In Papua, the locals enjoy eating sago caterpillar, both raw and cooked. They harvest the caterpillar from the old and weathered sago tree trunks, then eat it directly. Grab the head, bite the head off, then chew the body, and swallow it.
The worm is chewy on the outside and tender on the inside, making it hard to chew. Once the body bursts inside your mouth, you are greeted with an umami taste. It is believed to be highly nutritious and energizing because of its high protein content, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, tyrosine, lysine, and methionine. If raw food isn’t your liking, you can also eat it cooked in the form of satay.
Sea Worm
In West Papua, you can make tasty food out of anything, including worms. This time, we’re talking about the sea worm. Yes, you heard it right. Sea worms, especially the Insonem type, can be harvested daily.
The worm is high in protein. You can get many benefits from this food dish, such as increasing strength, stamina, and virility. The shape is similar to earthworms, but longer, around 30 centimeters.
There are various ways to enjoy the sea worm. The various dishes are fried sea worm, Rica-Rica, or balado style sea worm for those who like spicy food, satay, or chips. Remember to chop off the head and the tail before cooking.
Tambelo Worm
During the celebration of the Kamoro Tribe festival in Timika, Papua, the Papuans serve local delicacies such as sago caterpillar and tambelo worms. You can easily find the worms inside wilt mangrove trees around Timika beaches. Since the locals live close to the beach, the worms have become the tribe’s staple food.
Tambelo worms’ shape resembles octopus tentacles, and they’re 30 centimeter-long. It’s easy to harvest Tambelo worms. Split up the tree log, and you’ll find small holes full of Tambelo worms. Next, pluck and pull the worms. Wash the worm thoroughly with water before consumption.
The locals usually eat them raw to preserve the freshness – no preservatives, no condiments. First, cut off the head and split the body in half. You’ll find a brown substance inside the body which is mud, wash with water. Once clean, hold the head, lift it high above the mouth, and put it in the mouth while chewing slowly, starting from the tail. The worms have a tender texture and taste like a raw octopus.
The Kamoro Tribe believes that consuming the Tambelo worm can increase male virility because of its high protein content. So, don’t miss eating Tambelo worm when you’re traveling to Papua for an unforgettable experience.
Ant’s Nest
Although this article talks about the extreme foods in West Papua, we don’t take it as extreme as an actual ant’s nest where the ants live. The one we’re talking about is a medicinal plant that’s commonly found in West Papua.
It has many health benefits for the body because of its active natural antioxidant compounds such as tannins, flavonoids, and polyphenols. People usually use it to treat terminal illnesses like gout, tuberculosis, tumor, cancer, rheumatism, liver, cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, and many more.
As a medicine, ant nests can be found in capsules or dried in plastic packaging. Boil the dried one in water and drink the water in the morning and the evening for maximum effect. The locals make them into a cake to reduce the bitter taste and enjoy it with a cup of coffee or tea.
Cheating Shrimp
Relax, the Cheating shrimp doesn’t cheat with anyone. It gets its name from the shape of its claws. The claws are giant, almost as big as the crab’s claws, so they look like the Cheating shrimp is a hybrid of shrimp and crab. Cheating shrimp is a type of crayfish which belongs to the Cherax genus. The shrimp are commonly found in Wamena, especially Paniai Lake, Tage Lake, Tigi Lake, Baliem River.
Cheating shrimp is high in calcium, protein and contains minerals such as selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, zinc that fulfill human’s nutritional needs. It’s a perfect protein for those who are doing a low-calorie diet – only 106 calories per 100 grams of meat.
The texture of the meat is dense and fibrous yet tender. The meat tastes sweet and savory, especially when eaten fresh. All parts of the shrimp can be eaten except the head. You can enjoy it fried, boiled, or grilled, or you can cook them with the refreshing sweet and sour sauce.
Those are the five extreme foods in West Papua you should try during your trip. It’ll be a unique and unforgettable experience that you can share with your friends or even your grandchildren. Let’s go to Papua!
