China eatery creates egg tarts topped with ‘giant cockroaches’, drawing widespread curiosity

A restaurant in Shunde, Guangdong, is turning heads online with a bizarre new dessert: egg tarts topped with crispy water beetles that look exactly like gigantic cockroaches.

Shunde is a city known for its Cantonese cuisine and recognised as a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy.

In early October, it introduced a new “water roach egg tart”, priced at 28 yuan (US$4) for three. Images of the dessert, with a large insect perched on each tart, quickly made it a social media sensation.

However, restaurant owner Pan said that despite its name, the “water roach” is not a cockroach but a diving beetle. He said it is edible and has nutritional and medicinal value.

The beetle is also used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), where it is believed to nourish the skin and kidneys, improve blood circulation, help resolve blood stasis, and strengthen muscles and bones.

Pan said preparing the water roach egg tarts requires meticulous work. He first deodorises the beetles, then fries them at a carefully controlled temperature until they are crispy, leaving their wings attached for both flavour and visual effect.

The finished product is said to combine sweet and savoury flavours, with a topping like “a layer of crispy potato crisp on top of an egg tart”.

Pan said some customers travel from Guangzhou and Hong Kong to try the dessert. He sells about 20 sets a day.

On Chinese social media, many people said they felt uncomfortable about the dessert.

“I can’t even stand looking at it, let alone eating it,” one person commented.

“Water roaches are still roaches. I’ll never accept them as food,” another said.

A third commenter wrote: “I’ve never tried them, but I know water roaches are used in Chinese food therapy. They also need very clean water to breed, and are becoming increasingly rare and expensive.”

Pan said he would continue selling the product despite the negative comments.

He added that he would keep developing innovative dishes with dietary therapy effects.

The product also attracted attention because Guangdong, where Shunde is located, is known for its large, flying cockroaches – a reputation that people in other parts of China often joke about.

Although they are not the same kind of insect as water beetles, some cockroaches, including American cockroach, are also used in TCM. They are believed to help resolve blood stasis and detoxify the body.

A proprietary Chinese medicine called Kangfuxin Liquid, for example, is made from American cockroaches and is often used to treat stomach and mouth ulcers.