Enjoy A Little Ant Chutney

CHAPRAH. THE ANT VITAMIN  IN YOUR CHUTNEY.

Accepted. A thousand and one dishes define the diverse and exotic tastes of India. But like they say, if you haven’t tasted that one rare,unique and not so famous dish from Chattisgarh, you haven’t had the taste of real India.

To many in this generation, Chattisgarh is a name associated with the naxalite movement and nothing more. The kingdom of Chedis derives its name from thirty-six forts in this area and has a cuisine that’s  exotic and unusual, like the belt of the Adhivasis who have hugely influenced the cuisine.

The Dhuruva tribal population here is famous for its customary chutney called Chaprah. This dish is a part of all the feasts here and is made from red ants and their eggs that are dried in the sun! Pungent now, spicy and a tad sour due to that dash of tamarind, Chaprah challenges the foodie beast in you.

The ants packed with formic acid which has medicinal qualities and tastes like vinegar. The tribal cook will tell you that queen ants are better because they are fat and juicy! The locals also believe that ants boost libido, which is another reason that people eat Chaprah.

The ants are harvested by putting a stick on an ant hill. Once it gets covered with the red ants, they are shaken into a container. A lid suffocates them enough after which they are dried with their eggs. Later they are roasted and cooked with spices and sweeteners.

Bizzare? No. It just tastes as good as Vampire blood on the rocks! No, wait frog legs with hot chocolate sauce tastes even better.

Still think it sounds weird. Here’s proof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crMau5y17pU