are maggots, alive and/or dead, safe to eat if cooked in rice steamer?

Question

so, i found the little white guys crawling around my rice storage ( i live in japan and live off this almost exclusively). this is the first time i've ever noticed the problem since using this new rice storage (it's a special container designed to dispense rice in measured servings). do you think it's safe for me to eat? it is gross, and i may toss it anyway, but rice is expensive here. suggestions?

Answer 1

If you pick them out by hand to make sure you got them all you should be fine, I would think.
I'll bet they are a delicacy in some part of the world....
Bon appetit!

Answer 2

It's probably safe to eat, after cooking throughly, but I have a suggestion. Put all the rice you have in an air tight plastic bag, and seal it closed for a week or so, that should kill the darn things. Then rinse the rice or screen it through a sieve, or cheesecloth.

To avoid the problem in the future, clean out the storage with boiling water or bleach to kill all the larvae and residue before you reuse it, or at least line it with plastic.

Answer 3

Maggot can be eaten (good protein) steaming them should make sure they are nice and bacteria free alternatively you could tip out the rice onto a plate and remove the little wrigglers, shouldn't do you any harm either way. But consider that the rice may have got damp or something and as such there is a potential for bacterial degradation of a more toxic nature which will not be removed by steaming. so it may be worth throwing it out and getting fresh. If however you have eaten it recently with no adverse effects chances are its alright but I would recommend eating it up quick.

Answer 4

Can you sieve them out or are they the same size as the rice grains?
Can't see them doing you any harm unless you are a vegetarian - good source of protein. Our garden birds thrive
on maggots and the Australian Outback Aboriginal would probably think they were a real treat!
Rice is very cheap here in the UK, maybe you should make a holiday over here - bring an empty suitcase and take back 20Kg.

Answer 5

I know from television that Japanese rice is the finest quality and most expensive in the World, so I do sympathise. I am surprised they are even in there, because maggots like rotting meat, not rice, so it might be that your rice is already contaminated in which case chuck it out and keep it in an air tight container, I keep mine in an old coffee jar with a screw on lid.

Answer 6

If you tip or lean your containers they will wriggle to the top and try to escape, this would be the prefered way to get rid of the little blighters but should you miss any and cook them no harm will come to you and they may be quite healthy....

Answer 7

yucks, i personally would throw it out.

it's safe to eat it steamed, my brothers experimented with them and tasted them and they said it tasted like chick peas--a kind of bean snack. so it is ok to eat them, though i don't suggest eating them alive unless you feel a kick in eating squishy, live stuff :( i suggest cooking or baking them, you either get soft chick peas or crispy chick peas... ahem, just don't look when you eat it and don't think about it... good luck... :S

Answer 8

The should be fine to eat. Just think extra protein!

Answer 9

just cook em and eat em they wont hurt you ive swallowed a few over the years whilst warming them in my mouth to make them move when fishing and they aint hurt me

Answer 10

maggots are high in protein,so if you don't mind eating them,then go for it!