French health inspectors got a surprise when they visited a market and eatery outside Paris Tuesday night.
During a routine check, inspectors uncovered a pot of curious meat boiling on a stove of the Aubervilliers store. Upon further investigation, the officers discovered the contents of the pot were actually a caterpillar stew (http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2013/02/28/01016-20130228ARTFIG00529-fermeture-d-un-restaurant-qui-servait-du-ragout-de-chenilles.php).
According to the Agence France-Presse, inspectors tossed three hundred kilos (http://www.dna.fr/actualite/2013/02/27/le-restaurant-proposait-du-ragout-de-chenilles) (about 661 pounds) of the meat when they could not determine its origin. French police later closed the shop, citing hygiene violations.
Local French-language media described the store as an African grocery (http://www.leparisien.fr/aubervilliers-93300/aubervilliers-du-ragout-de-chenilles-dans-le-restaurant-clandestin-27-02-2013-2603561.php) that was licensed to only sell drinks and take-out dishes, according to translations by The Huffington Post.
Caterpillar stew may seem like an odd choice of cuisine. However, as noted by English-language French news site The Local, dishes containing caterpillar meat are quite common (http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/paris-diner-selling-caterpillar-stew-closed-down#.US-MU-s6X-d) in some African countries.
France is still reeling (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/23/horse-meat-scandal_n_2749084.html) from another strange meat scandal (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/10/horse-trading-exposed-by-_n_2658348.html) that has affected countless grocery stores and restaurants across Europe.
Frozen food companies and supermarket chains have been forced to recall dozens of beef products (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/07/horsemeat-lasagna-beef_n_2639321.html) after they tested positive for horse meat (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/elisa-technologies-horse-meat_n_2755701.html). Originally from Romania, the horse meat is believed to have been mislabeled somewhere along the food supply chain.
Via: HuffingtonPost