Would you eat this parasite ramen?

04 June,2023 07:56 AM IST |  Japan  |  A Correspondent

Taipei restaurant serves up a unique dish—ramen with a topping of a deep-sea parasite

The white meat of the Giant Isopod is said to taste like lobster and crab. Pics/Instagram


A Taipei-based restaurant has been getting a lot of attention for its newest addition to the menu - a ramen dish topped with a steamed 14-legged isopod that looks like something out of an Alien movie.

The Ramen Boy restaurant recently took to Facebook to announce its latest dish, a bowl of ramen featuring a generous helping of giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus), which it describes as a "dream ingredient". Called "Giant isopod with creamy chicken broth ramen", the dish consists of a large bowl of ramen and a large isopod steamed in its own shell.

To prepare the deep-sea crustacean, the cooks remove the stomach viscera, keeping the creamy glands for consumption, and steam it. The white meat is said to taste like lobster and crab, while the yellow glands are "unexpectedly sweet".

The owner of Ramen Boy reportedly got the idea for this unusual dish while visiting Japan, where he would see these isopods in aquariums. He thought they were "very cute" at the time, but he eventually decided they would make great ingredients for an exclusive ramen dish.

Boiled in chicken soup and served with squid and bonito flakes, this unique ramen dish isn't for everyone. One serving costs $48 (around Rs 3,956). This species can live at depths of 7,000 meters.

Rs 3,956
One serving costs

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