I Have On Three Occasions Eaten Ants Out Here, (Moot Dang),

twice raw or uncooked and once fried,

they are a fairly common dish out here, but I did not expect to see them served in a Japanese restaurant, but they are in the highly acclaimed Noma restaurant on the 37th floor of the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo, the dish is called 'flavors of the Nagano forest', food writer Robbie Swinnerton explains, 


'the magic kicks in from the very first course, jumbo shrimp served atop a platter of ice, they are superb, premium sashimi quality and so fresh they’re still dancing their final quivers, but it is the seasoning, 'flavors of the Nagano forest' the menu calls it that defines this dish, a dozen tiny wild black ants are carefully arranged on the shrimp, their little pinpricks of sharp acidity acting as a perfect accent for the sweet, pink flesh,'

so next time you find ants on your food, it could be the chef put them there!