In a harsh and hostile environment such as that of a desert, you don’t exactly have the luxury of choosing on what you can and can’t eat in the desert.
Cactus fruit is perfectly safe, edible, and delicious, making one feel thankful should they find one while scavenging for food. Going past that, though, plants of unknown origin may or may not be toxic and are usually best avoided if you cannot recognize its species.
Animals, meanwhile, aren’t exactly abundant either, as most choose to hide in their dens or holes during the day and wait for the day to cool down. Lizards and insects are certainly edible, but maybe you want to improve your diet and add some variety to it.
Enter the scorpion.
Most scorpions have two pincers and a dark coating, but its most telling feature is the stinger attached to its tail.
Indeed, advice from our elderly tells us to stay away from those that can sting, from bees to fire ants to scorpions.
And it’s solid advice too: there are some species of scorpions out there with venom that can be quite deadly to humans.
But again, you don’t have the luxury of choice in the desert, and here, you will take what you can get.
So, can you eat a scorpion?
Let’s say you manage to luck out and catch one without getting stung.
First of all, good work! I suppose that container trap that you set in front of its den as a hole made sure that it was unable to get away from you, and now you potentially have another food source.
But what now? Can you actually eat the scorpion that you caught?
The answer is yes.
Edible or Raw?
As it turns out, scorpions can be eaten cooked or raw.
However, if you want to eat a scorpion raw, take out the stinger and the venom glands of the scorpion. They are, as you might expect, still venomous, considering that they have everything that the scorpion would have used against you if things went south while you were trying to catch and kill it.
Once you remove these parts of the scorpion, you are free to eat your catch.
It is more recommended to cook it first before eating, however. Eating a scorpion raw won’t really taste like much, but it’s a completely different story when cooked. People have likened the taste of cooked scorpion from chicken skin to crab or even shrimp. Your mileage may vary.
Doing so also means that the venom in the stinger gets broken down, making even this part of the scorpion edible.
And if you are worried about parasites, you don’t have to be. Scorpions break down their food with their venom and suck up the remains of their prey, making them an unlikely host.
Are scorpions nutritious?
Believe it or not – scorpions (like many insects) are indeed healthy for you. Protein, for instance, is sky high for a scorpion, especially when you compare it to some animals. Beef, for instance, only has 20% protein in their bodies, but scorpions can go as high as 80%, and there is a tremendous difference in size of a cow and a scorpion there!
But protein isn’t everything. You need calories to give your body the energy boost it needs to survive in the desert and do other things. Thankfully, scorpions also have a high calorie count. 100 grams of scorpion gives you at least 330 calories! Probably something people watching their weight might be concerned about, but for someone who is lacking in the energy department out in the wild, it can be a literal lifesaver.
Where can I find more scorpions?
The scorpion that you found hiding in a den is just one place that you can find scorpions in. They also prefer hiding under logs and rocks, so if you want to find more, try searching these places should you run across them.
They can be a reliable food source since they are relatively plentiful in the desert, but you will want to be cautious while trying to nab them, considering the type of danger their stingers pose to you.
Most scorpions are inactive during the day – they are nocturnal creatures and spend their time hiding inside their dens or mounds, waiting for night to fall. This is the best time to set up some traps underneath the mound to catch a scorpion unaware when they set out during the night to hunt and try to leave their dens.
Wrapping up
Scorpions are poisonous desert dwellers, but also tasty and healthy treats, especially for those in a survival situation.
If you do not like the sight of bugs, you may gag at the thought of eating a scorpion, but the truth is, scorpions are quite common as food. This can be seen mostly in Asian countries like China and Thailand, where scorpions are a delicacy as street food!
So, lighten up, and maybe try a scorpion when you can. It might make you more motivated to eat one in a survival situation, though maybe it might also make you more motivated to eat one at home…