Hormiga culona

Hormiga culona are world famous fat-bottomed ants, an unusual delicacy from the department of Santander in Colombia. Originally harvested by the Guane Indians as a protein source, today it takes about five hours to gather the ants from their nests in springtime.

Their bottoms get soaked in salted water, then they are fried for about 45 minutes and strained, while the wings get removed by hand. The snack is sold on numerous street corners, made with the addition of wine, or toasted with salt, while some upscale restaurants make their own gourmet versions of the dish.

Providing a unique taste and flavor of Colombia, ants' bottoms can get seriously expensive due to the fact that they come out of their nests for only one or two days in a year, during the rainy season. They taste like peanut shells, salty and crunchy, and are sometimes also compared to pork rinds.

The ants are large and always female, while some believe that they have aphrodisiacal properties, so hormiga culonas are sometimes even given as a wedding gift. Although it is an unusual food, the ants are believed to prevent high cholesterol in blood and are full of protein and Vitamin B, making it an unusual, yet healthy snack.