Updated on 13 October 2026. The original 2007 post is kept below.
Wait, people really eat these?
They do, and mostly with a camera in the other hand. Skewered scorpions are the poster child of Beijing’s Wangfujing Snack Street, a busy alley next to the city’s main shopping street. Three little scorpions go on a stick, take a quick dip in hot oil and get a sprinkle of salt and chilli. Visitors often say the crunch is the main event: think crisps, just with more legs.
The scorpions are often displayed alive on their sticks, wriggling, until someone orders them. Whether that’s a sales pitch or a warning is up to you.
Scorpions are not insects (they’re arachnids, cousins of spiders), but they turn up in the same conversations. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization notes that around two billion people already eat insects and other bugs as part of their normal diet. So the scorpion on a stick is less of a stunt than it looks. It’s just wearing a very dramatic costume.
Brave enough for more crunchy stuff? Try giant roasted ants or the slightly soupier scorpion soup, then browse Weird Eats.
From the 2007 original
Great for your Sunday afternoon Barbecue!
Source: picasaweb.google.co.uk
