India's Nagaland Tribe Eats Spiders With 73% Protein

For generations, the Lotha Naga people in India's Nagaland state have known a protein secret the rest of the world is just discovering: spiders taste good and pack serious nutrition.

A new study in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems reveals that two species of orb-weaver spiders, locally called siyankyü, contain up to 73% protein. That's significantly higher than most commonly eaten insects and rivals many traditional protein sources.

Researchers from Nagaland University surveyed 33 people with traditional knowledge about preparing these eight-legged delicacies. The cooking process is straightforward: remove the head and legs, clean the body, then season and cook. The result? A creamy, nutty flavor that locals have treasured for generations.

Lead author Lobeno Mozhui sees this research as an important baseline. "The consumption of edible spiders has the potential to gain wider acceptance," she told Mongabay.

The practice isn't unique to Nagaland. Around the world, about 23 spider species are eaten, from the Amazon's goliath bird-eater to Cambodia's street-fried tarantulas. Orb-weavers specifically appear in traditional diets from Mexico to Madagascar to Thailand.

The Ripple Effect

Spiders offer the same ecological advantages as edible insects: they're protein-rich, contain valuable micronutrients like iron and zinc, and have a low fat profile. They require far fewer resources to produce than traditional livestock.

Brazilian researcher Eraldo Medeiros Costa Neto, who wasn't involved in the study, notes that spiders could serve as locally significant food sources. However, he cautions that wild harvesting must be carefully managed since spiders play crucial roles regulating insect populations.

The challenges to wider adoption are real. Many people fear spiders or find them unappetizing. Farming them presents unique difficulties: they're territorial, sometimes cannibalistic, breed slowly, and web-building species need extensive space for their intricate constructions.

But these obstacles don't diminish the value of traditional knowledge. The Lotha Naga people have sustained this practice sustainably for generations, demonstrating that cultural wisdom often anticipates modern nutritional science.

Costa Neto believes spiders will likely remain "a local or cultural food source, and possibly as a niche gastronomic item" rather than a global protein staple. Scaling up would require major advances in farming technology and perhaps even domestication.

Still, in a world searching for sustainable protein sources, the traditional practices of communities like the Lotha Naga offer valuable lessons about working with nature rather than against it.