Updated on 13 October 2026. The original 2006 post is kept below.
The soup that fights “heat”
Scorpion soup is a real dish in southern China, especially in Guangdong and its capital, Guangzhou. Cantonese cooking has a long tradition of slow-simmered tonic soups, or lou fo tong, and scorpion is one of the more dramatic ingredients. It’s often paired with snake, pork, ginger and herbs and simmered for hours.
In traditional Chinese medicine the soup is believed to cool the body’s “heat” and help with aches and circulation. Some people don’t even eat the scorpion. They believe the goodness has gone into the broth by then. Modern research on medicinal scorpions shows they do contain active compounds, but also notes real toxicity risks, so they need proper preparation. Please don’t make this at home with a garden scorpion.
More scorpions: scorpions on a stick and bug eating in Beijing.
From the 2006 original
This is what scorpion soup apparently looks like. Scorpions are traditionally
eaten in Southern China, where they can be bought from local markets.
This delightful dish was found from growabrain.typepad.com
A Recipe for a scorpion soup can be found from: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
Best is that everything can be eaten except for the tim of the tail!
