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If you’ve got a sensitive stomach, you may want to turn away now because what we’re about to introduce you to will be either gross or interesting to you.
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A couple of interesting dishes from Sabah is making it way around on the internet and we’re not sure what to think about it.
Introducing, worm sushi and worm pizza.
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The Butod, or the sago larvae, might look familiar to you and if you’ve had a taste of them before, then the Butod sushi or Butod pizza may be appealing to you.
A restaurant called D’Place Kinabalu has given the traditional delicacy from Sabah a modern twist and these new dishes are gaining popularity not just amongst locals but also tourists.
Sandra Paut, the owner of the restaurant created the sushi dish by herself and introduced it to the public. The sushi is made up of a sago larvae sitting on top of glutinous rice and we must admit… we can almost see the appeal…
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Besides the Butod Sushi, Sandra says that the Butod Pizza gets a lot of attention from those who visit the restaurant. The pizza comes with the extra serving of a sago larvae that is roasted to a crisp! You can even have fried Butod on its own!
“Another of our customers’ favourites is cooking it with onions and kicap (black soy sauce),” Sandra said. “Gerenti mintak nasi ekstra (Guaranteed that customers will ask for an extra plate of rice).”
“It is the adventurous types that will go for the live worms. We normally introduce three levels, with the live ones being the extreme,” Sandra added.
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Speaking to Free Malaysia Today, Sandra said that the “Butod are high in protein, and are normally eaten as appetisers by the Kadazandusun Murut community at weddings and gatherings. We buy 500 Butod from Kuala Penyu every week and about 450 are sold weekly before the worms die.”
The Butod normally only survives between five to seven days after they’ve been taken out of their natural environment.
“We are known as one of the places that supply and serve Butod daily. Our customers comprise mainly tourists, although more locals are now also looking for this kind of food,” Sandra said about the high demand.
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In case you were wondering, Butod is a Kadazandusun word that means sago larvae which hatches from the eggs of a snout beetle. The worms can be found in decaying trunks of rumbia, sago palm trees or even fallen trunks of coconut trees. The Butod rely in the starch contents of the tree trunks to survive.
“There are all kinds of expressions,” Sandra said when asked about people’s reactions. “Some scream with excitement, some are surprised by the taste while others are eager to try it. I can tell you that it tastes like chicken or it is creamy, milky and all that but you will only know for sure after you try it!”
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We’re still skeptical about these dishes…
Would you give it a try or do you know someone who would? Share this with them!
Info via Free Malaysia Today