Ooh, Shiny
See this bug - they were all over Angkor Thom. I had no idea what they were, and then by pure chance I read an article on the internet about them the other day. Kinda wish I hadn't.
Ever heard of shellac - the source of wood-polishing glean? Also used to make food that extra bit more mouthwateringly appetising e.g. sweets? Also works as a moulding compound to prevent decay e.g. apples?
Native to Thailand and Cambodia, shellac is made from the excretions of the Kerria Lacca insect.
Food additive E904. Yummy.
Oh, and it is referred to by those 'on the know' as "bettlejuice".
2 comments:
I was just enjoying this lovely crunchy apple sitting at my polished table and thinking about tucking into a sweetie or two later, but maybe not now.....
Mum
Of course you could be tucking into a red shiny sweet - coloured with cochineal (E120), extracted from another type of bug, and made shiny with shellac!
Post a Comment