05 April 2008
Ahsa: You can easily hear salesmen raving about the medical and culinary qualities of the desert locust they are selling.
Welcome to the popular market in Ahsa in eastern Saudi Arabia where crowds of old Saudis haggle for bags of live locusts.
Despite the government issuing health warnings on consuming locusts, the market is busy with people buying the pest that has grown in culinary stature over the years based on legends and half-truths.
Speaking to Gulf News, one of the vendors claimed "that by eating locust you can cure diabetes, high blood pressure and heart diseases".
Some claim that the effect of a meal of locust is stronger than Viagra. Bags of fresh locust are arranged neatly attracting more customers.
The irony is that what many Saudis consider as a delectable treat, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Agriculture treats as a pest.
Each year swarms of locusts invade the terrain and cause havoc to the agriculture and the government maintains nationwide surveillance network run by the ministry.
Price increase
Though the practice of locust eating is now largely confined among old-timers, there is still big demand for the insect. In some parts of the Kingdom, a high turnout of customers have led to a price increase.
For instance, a bag of locust fetches 1,500 Saudi riyals (about $400).
This happens despite warnings from the concerned authorities that consumption of locust is dangerous in particular after being sprayed with pesticides. To convince customers that their locust is healthy some sellers bring live locusts to the market.
In olden times locust were referred to as "mobile pharmacy", another vendor said, adding that it can also cure several diseases like constipation, low sexual desire, and cough among others. This has made locusts occupy special importance in the Gulf. The elderly strongly believe in the health benefits of locusts.
They say that locust feed on all natural trees, grasses and flowers.
Several studies in diet show that locust contains high ingredients of proteins, fats and vitamins.
Some Saudis prefer to have locusts boiled in salt water and consumed as a soup. Others roast it lightly over coals. Sometimes they dry them before cooking them with herbs and spices.
People of Ahsa can easily differentiate between the different types of locusts. Of these types is "zueer" which is the male locust with an yellow colour. The other is called "makn", which is the female locust, and in demand.
A Saudi woman giving her name as "Umm Nasser," told local newspapers recently, "we cook locust by boiling it in salt water".
The Saudi Ministry of Agriculture continually carry out campaigns warning citizens against hunting or eating locust, saying that locust are sprayed with pesticides and pose danger to the health of consumers.
But media campaigns are not receiving any response from the public.
Engineer Saleh Al Humaidi, director-general of agriculture directorate in Ahsa province, warned citizens against eating or touching locust. If the public do consume locust they would be endangering their own health, he was quoted as saying recently by the official Saudi News Agency.
In Riyadh, the concerned authorities are intensifying their drive against outlets selling locust.
Riyadh Mayor Dr Abdul Aziz Bin Ayyaf has asked field teams to conduct field inspections and confiscate any quantities of locust for sale.
Medical reports are saying that locust that is good for consumption should be mature. It said that red locusts are not mature and should only be eaten only after they become yellow, on condition that it was not sprayed with pesticides.
By Mariam Al Hakeem
Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.
