In Bucaramanga, there are many, many ants of all sizes. Small ants, big ants, ants to eat, ants building their homes in huge groups and red ants-SO MANY ants! I have never seen so many ants in my life in one place, and they always seem to be working! I have found a new appreciation for ants during my time here.
Depending on the specific ant, these ants look like the ones that you have seen in New York. But hormigas culonas (literally translated as "big bottom ants" for their large backsides!) are the ones that you eat here. There are three main parts of an ant, their head, their thorax and their abdomen. The abdomen part of these ants is huge, and they also have very long legs!
I have not seen the hormigas culonas type ant alive here yet, but when I saw them roasted, I was a little freaked out at first. But my Colombian friends that were with me popped a few in their mouth (and a couple said that they do not eat them!) and so I went for it. They were delicious! They taste sort of like popcorn, sort of like peanuts.
