I have been lucky enough to grow up living all over the world. My father was in the Forces and later became a diplomat. One of the continents on which I lived was Africa, first of all in Sudan, before the war, from the age of 7 to 10. I was soaking up knowledge, experiencing different cultures, peoples and foods. It was then that I first tried locusts and honey. I thought it was delicious, but I was about eight and had a sweet tooth for the honey. I returned to Africa in my late teens and early twenties to live in Kenya. I revisited the locusts and honey and started to experiment with other unusual foods. Being of drinking age, I also experimented with the types of drinks these weird and wonderful foods paired with and have compiled a list of what might do with locusts and other unusual species.
Cockroaches
This is probably the most disgusting creature on the list. However, taken out of their usual environment and introduced to a deep fat fryer, they are quite nice. Needless to say, they are crunchy and, depending on their size and length of cooking time, can have a slightly soft of not squishy centre. But they are not bitter, in fact they have a delicate nutty flavour and have a touch of sweetness. This needs a delicate drink. A light pilsner goes well, or an aromatic delicate white wine like a Vino Verde. Both leave a crisp finish and allow the consumption of cockroaches to be most enjoyable.
Locusts
Like cockroaches, locusts become quite crunchy once deep fried, and the soft body also becomes crunchy. I also had them with honey in the traditional way, and how they were supposedly eaten in the Bible. In biblical times they were probably washed down with some red wine. The middle east was well known for producing red wine, and I found that this still works today. A light red wine such as Beaujolais or a light fruity red from southern Germany would go well – something with quite a bit of acidity to balance the honey, but not too big a flavour to hide the crispy nuttiness of the locust.
Zebra
In certain areas of Kenya animals need to be culled for the good of the health of herds as a whole, and a small number of restaurants were able to sell the meat from these culls. Zebra meat is some of the softest I’ve had and unsurprisingly tastes a little like the horse meat frequently found on the menu in France. It is rich and slightly gamey and a good old-fashioned claret or a robust burgundy goes very well with Zebra. Try a spot of Margaux from a good vintage or a vineyard north of Morey-Saint-Denis in Burgundy.
Crocodile
Crocodile as a food is found in many places across Africa. I’ve had fresh barbequed crocodile and tinned crocodile pâté made in South Africa. I’ve also tried some smoked alligator biltong in Texas, and it really does matter how you have your animal cooked as to how you pair it. Barbequed crock tastes quite a bit like the brown meat on chicken, and goes very well with a bold white wine, like a Californian chardonnay. Crocodile pâté is particularly good with a sweet white wine. I had mine with Klein Constantia Vin de Constance which was a brilliant match and very satisfying having two South African products together.
Eland
This is the softest, tastiest meat I have ever had. With more flavour than Kobe beef, and sweeter than a sirloin steak, it is rich with a great depth of flavour. With all this being presented to the senses, I would go for a simple refreshing drink to concentrate the mind on the meat. I suggest a brandy and lemonade with a touch of Angostura bitters, which gives the palate an extra pique to be able to take on the luxuriant Eland.
Scorpions
I was hoping there would be something significantly different about scorpion from the other insects and invertebrates I had eaten, but they are remarkably similar. The exoskeleton is a little tougher, and the body crunchy. Maybe I had a bad chef for this one, but I remember eating them with Scotch. We were on a trip shooting guineafowl on the plains and they formed our first course before the birds. My aperitif that evening was a Scotch and soda, and it did the job nicely.
If you like the idea of the weird and wonderful, then how about an unusual cocktail with a frozen toe in it!