Maniuara Ant

It may sound unusual, but eating ants is not a habit despised by Brazilians: in his book Cozinha do arco-da-velha (Unbelievable Cooking Traditions), journalist Odylo Costa Jr. compiled reports of historians and travelers who, since the sixteenth century, have registered the snack being served in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Pernambuco, Maranhão, Amazonas and Espírito Santo. For Professor and essayist Eduardo Frieiro, author of Feijão, angu e couve (Beans, Polenta and Collard Greens), “this is probably an invention of native Indians,” and to this day the Baniwa community of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, in the Amazon, eats maniuara ants pounded in a mortar with manioc flour and pepper, or mixed with black tucupi. Fish broths and farofas (seasoned manioc flour) with the insect are also common in local restaurants.