The thought of putting this live squirmy, creamy-coloured grub into your mouth and then having an explosion of milky goo when you chew on it will likely put many people off.
It is understandable that many find shoving wriggly creatures down their throat outright disgusting, but truth be told, this has long been a traditional delicacy for the rural community in Sabah.
Publicity on social media coupled with numerous food reviews of these creepy crawlies have shot the Butod to recent prominence.
Sandra Paut, owner of D’Place Kinabalu, one of the rare eateries offering this grub, says the demand for Butod has picked up significantly.
She says Butod are high in protein, and are normally eaten as appetisers by the Kadazandusun Murut community at weddings and gatherings.
“We buy 500 Butod from Kuala Penyu every week and about 450 are sold weekly before the worms die.
Normally they can only live between five to seven days after they are taken out of their natural environment.
We are known as one of the places that supply and serve Butod daily. Our customers comprise mainly tourists, although more locals are now also looking for this kind of food,” she told FMT.
Butod is a Kadazandusun word meaning sago larvae, which hatches from the eggs of the snout beetle.
Butod are normally found in the decaying trunks of the rumbia, or sago palm tree, but can also live in the fallen trunks of coconut trees. They feed on the starch contents of the tree trunks.
Rumbia are prevalent in the southwest of Sabah, particularly in the Kuala Penyu area.
Sandra fully understands that not everyone will take to the idea of eating bugs, especially live ones, hence, she has come up with creative and innovative ways to tempt her customers’ taste buds.
“In order for you to maintain your business edge, you need to come up with something new. I was eating sushi one day when I thought of Butod sushi.
It’s simple as it just needs to be the right bite size and easy to eat. Not many people dare to eat the live worms so this is acceptable. Now it is our signature dish and we are famous for it” she said.
The Butod pizza is another dish that usually gets plenty of orders at D’Place Kinabalu, which specialises in traditional Sabahan food. Another popular way to cook it is to roast the Butod to a crisp.
“Another of our customers’ favourites is cooking it with onions and kicap (black soy sauce). Gerenti mintak nasi ekstra (Guaranteed that customers will ask for an extra plate of rice).
“It is the adventurous types that will go for the live worms. We normally introduce three levels, with the live ones being the extreme,” Sandra said.
The way to eat a live Butod is to simply hold the hard spiny head with the tips of your fingers, she says, picking up a Butod. She has the head sandwiched between her thumb and index finger.
She then bites on the Butod’s body and yanks the bug, separating the body from the head. “Chew and then swallow it, just like that.”
Reactions from people vary. First-timers seeing a bowl of squiggly over sized maggots mostly display a combination of intrigue and disgust rolled into one.
“There are all kinds of expressions. Some scream with excitement, some are surprised by the taste while others are eager to try it.
“I can tell you that it tastes like chicken or it is creamy, milky and all that but you will only know for sure after you try it,” Sandra giggles.
She notes that Korean and Chinese tourists are the most adventurous, saying they enjoy downing the live worms.
“But West Malaysians especially Malays also have the courage to try it.
“There have been worries whether Muslims are allowed to eat it because they don’t know the origin of the grub and if it is suitable to eat.
“But the Muslims here in Sabah know where it comes from so they are okay with eating it. I always try to explain to customers from West Malaysia especially Muslims so they can understand better.
“But of course, it’s entirely up to them if they want to take it. Most of them eat it anyway. We are fine even if they just want to take photos of the Butod,” she says with a smile.