{"id":270,"date":"2016-03-17T21:40:20","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T13:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/?p=270"},"modified":"2026-01-22T11:04:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T03:04:54","slug":"sago-worm-butod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/sago-worm-butod\/","title":{"rendered":"Sago Grub (Butod), the Most Bizarre Food of Borneo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Known locally as\u00a0Butod<\/em>, Sago Grub, or Sago Worm, is a delicacy as well as\u00a0the most disgusting food <\/strong><\/span>in Sabah. Junk food always looks good, but it does ugly things to your body. Sago Grub is the opposite; it’s an ugly but nutritious food. However, it’s a test of bravery to put this wriggling bug into your mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Edible<\/a>
Edible Sago Grub is the larvae of Sago Palm Weevil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Butod is the larva of the Sago Palm Weevil, a species of snout beetle that consumes sago palm during its infancy.<\/b> Sago Grub can grow as big as an index finger and looks like a giant maggot. This creamy yellow color and fat worm is rich in protein and sold at US$0.25 each (RM40 – 45 per Kg), quite expensive, but still a hot-selling item in the local market.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Snout<\/a>
Sago Palm Weevil (Species: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus olivier<\/em>), adult of Sago Grub, is also known as Red Palm Weevil, and Asian Palm Weevil. Locals call it Linggaung<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

According to Dr. Arthur Chung, an insect expert, the adult Sago Palm Weevil is also consumed in Sabah. The rusty red colour of adults is usually grilled or roasted, with the hard and spiny parts and unsavoury guts removed before eating.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Fallen<\/a>
Sago grubs grow and feed inside sago palm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The best place to collect sago grubs is in sago palm<\/strong>, as they feed on the starchy pith of decaying sago palm trees, before they mature and transform into beetles after 2 months.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Searching<\/a>
Grub up some sago grubs (Butod) in Sago Palm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Just chop the sago trunk to look for butod in the spongy interior of the palm. Farmers also deliberately cut some openings in fallen sago trees to attract female weevils to lay eggs inside. They could harvest up to 100 butod per trunk after 1 to 3 months.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Cleaning<\/a>
Cleaning sago grubs before cooking them<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sago Grub is white. I notice it turns yellowish or brownish when exposed to ultraviolet light. Sago grubs can die fairly quickly in direct sunlight and a dry place. Keep them in shade, preferably with pieces of damp sago wood, and they can survive for a few days.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Sago<\/a>
Sago grub is a healthy source of protein and fiber.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sago Palm is an important crop of Sabah. Sago Grub is supposed to be a pest because it burrows and eats voraciously into the heart of the sago palm, and causes the tree to die. However, sago grub is a highly sought-after food that brings good money. You can see the statue of Sago Palm Weevil at the entrance of the Rumbia Information Centre<\/a>. There is no other insect in Sabah that is “commemorated” by such a big statue.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Statue<\/a>
Statue of Snout Beetle \/ Weevil at Rumbia Information Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In Sabah, though everyone knows about Sago Grub, not many actually eat this soft-bodied larva. Bugs seem to be doing filthy things all the time. Just look at flies and cockroaches that make people sick. So it might be a bad idea to eat bugs. Anyway, sago grub is very clean because it only feeds on and lives inside sago pith<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Sago<\/a>
Sago grubs make tunnels and feed on decaying pith tissues of the sago palm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

According to what I read on the Internet, sago grubs are described as creamy-tasting (like coconut milk) when eaten raw and as tasting like bacon or meat when cooked. I’ve tried eating the live and cooked sago grubs. Now I can tell you that the taste of both is not bad, and I can assure you that sago grub has no funny smell or taste<\/strong>. No, it doesn’t taste like chicken.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Cooked<\/a>
Are you dare to eat this?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Tasting Live Sago Grub<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Everyone has some degree of insectophobia. We can’t be friends with bugs. Even if I love to photograph bugs, that doesn’t mean I want to lick them. Anyhow, I always want to eat live sago grubs at least once. I think this is a big achievement, up there with the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Eating<\/a>
It’s me first time eating live sago grub<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

To eat live sago grub, hold its head with two fingers, because you won’t eat its hard chitinous head, and to avoid its pincer biting you. I squeeze its head to kill it first, so it won’t wriggle in my mouth later, and to suffer a painful death. Then I take a bite at its neck and chew. You can watch the following video if you want to see action:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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