I looked at the bag. They were definitely ants. Huge ones. With bodies the size of peanuts and abdomens that looked like swollen amber grapes. I had read about the hormigas culonas , the famous big-butt ants of Santander, but reading about them and holding a bag of them were two very different things.
I am not an adventurous eater. I struggle with sushi. But there is a specific pressure in a market stall when an old man is smiling at you, waiting for you to validate his regional pride. I opened the bag. The smell was toasty, surprisingly savory. colombian ants
) are a prized regional delicacy and a significant cultural symbol. I looked at the bag
: They are harvested during the rainy season (usually around April and May) when the queen ants emerge for their nuptial flight. With bodies the size of peanuts and abdomens