Witchetty or Bardi Grubs
Photographs of Witchetty Grubs in their natural habitat, inside a tree trunk eating through the timber.
The witchetty grub is the large, white, wood-eating larvae of several moths found in Australia. They were considered to be good protein food for Aboriginal people and apparently taste like almonds…though I can’t vouch for that myself.
According to the book, “Bushfood : Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine” (New Holland Publishers Australia) pages 190–192, when cooked the skin becomes crisp like roast chicken while the inside becomes light yellow, like a fried egg.
When we were kids in country Australia, we also called them Bardi Grubs. These live witchetty grubs were found while we were cutting up old wattles and blackwood trees into firewood. We put them back in the bush after the photos were taken.
