Michelin-starred restaurateur faces jail in South Korea for ant sorbet dessert
The owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant in South Korea faced imprisonment for serving sherbet filled with black ants imported from abroad to customers.
Prosecutors say the insects were used as a garnish for desserts at the two Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district, even though it is banned under the country’s Food Sanitation Law.
Dried black ants, imported from the United States and Thailand, are prized for the tangy, sour taste they add to the wort.
The restaurateur was fined 20 million won (about £10,000) and could face up to a year behind bars after admitting to serving ants to customers.
The defense argued that the insects made up only a small portion of the restaurant’s 15-course tasting menu, claiming that only 60 percent of the restaurant chose to add the unusual sauce.
But prosecutors said the controversial side dish was served 12,200 times over a four-year period, generating revenue of around 120 million won (£60,000).
Officials estimate that approximately 49,000 ants were used.
The case came to light when inspectors from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety identified online reviews showing desserts sprinkled with ants.
Tests found that the imported insects contained 55 times more heavy metals than typical edible insects, according to local news outlet Chosun Daily.
South Korean law currently allows human consumption of only 10 approved insect species, including grasshoppers and mealworms.
However, ants are not on the approved list, despite being widely eaten in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America. They are also legally used as ingredients in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Denmark.
Prosecutors told the court that the restaurant’s head chef had become accustomed to using ants to add acid to dishes while working in the United States and Europe and was unaware that South Korean food laws were different.
Court documents did not identify the restaurant or its owner. Seoul is home to 10 restaurants with two Michelin stars.
The restaurant operator’s sentence will be handed down on September 2, when the court will decide whether the ant-covered dessert deserves both imprisonment and a heavy fine.
