34 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 134 
roaches, and Johnson suggested that the insects had been attracted to 
the child’s mouth by the sirupy cough mixture she had been taking. 
Cockroaches thrive in British Columbia. ... On this trip I 
had them served to me in three different styles, alive in straw- 
berries, a la carte with fried fish and baked in biscuit. 
CAUDELL (1904). 
XI. COCKROACHES AS HUMAN FOOD 
Inasmuch as cockroaches may harbor organisms pathogenic to man, 
it is significant that in some areas of the world these insects are eaten 
as food. The following summary includes only reports of cockroaches 
that were apparently consumed as food rather than as medicine; the 
medicinal uses of cockroaches are discussed in the next section. 
According to Miall and Denny (1886), salted cockroaches were 
said to have an agreeable flavor which was apparent in certain popular 
sauces. This information was probably taken from Webster (1834) 
who noticed that “. . . common salt and water saturated with the 
juices of the cockroach had all the odour and some of the flavour and 
qualities of soy. . .” Dagen (im Melville-Davison, 1911) claimed that 
“shelled” cockroaches tasted like shrimp. 
Bristowe (1932) saw a Lao at Hua Hin, Thailand, collect Blatta 
orientalis and Neostylopyga (=Stylopyga) rhombifolia, In that dis- 
trict and in Korat the Laos eat cockroaches, but in most districts they 
are not touched because they “stink.” In all districts, children ap- 
peared to collect cockroach eggs [odthecae] for frying. 
The Australian aborigines eat cockroaches as well as other insects, 
and in some localities in China and Japan, Periplaneta americana and 
Periplaneta australasiae are eaten (Bodenheimer, 1951). 
Brygoo (1946) reported that he had known a commandant of the 
colonial army who ate cockroaches raw with evident pleasure, joining 
the Kissi (a tribe in French Guinea) in this practice. He also stated 
that the more civilized Annamites (Annamese?) ate cockroaches only 
after they had been held in the fire. Coupin (1905) attributed the 
following recipe to Harris: A succulent dish is made from cock- 
roaches simmered in vinegar all morning and then dried in the sun. 
The insects, freed of heads and intestines, are then boiled together 
with butter, farina, pepper, and salt to make a paste which is spread 
on buttered bread. He intimated that this concoction was appreciated 
by some Englishmen in London, and that cockroaches were eaten in 
Ireland also. 
