Not just another can of worms

Hurrah, they are here! My favorite dish has crawled back onto my late after an absence of close to two painful years! I had a fried plate last night and look forward to the cooked creepy crawlies tomorrow! Wanna puke? Don't do it here my dear friend, but then it could be worse. Take those who choose to feast on crab, snail (or is it escargot?) horse, snake, insect, frog, grub, lizard, rat, bat, cat, dog, grasshopper, octopus, tortoise, seal, lobster, prawns, eel, or monkey. Me, I just go for mopane worms.

The caterpillars of the anomalous emperor moth Imbrasia belina, mopane worms are a culinary sensation here in Zimbabwe and the rest of Central and Southern Africa. They are named after the Mopane, a tree that is common in semi-arid areas whose big clover-like leaves are what the worms feast on during metamorphosis. For the poverty stricken people of the region, the Mopane worm, or amacimbi in the local language, is manna from heaven.

The guts are removed through squeezing and the worms are then boiled and left for a day to dry out in the sun. Once dried, they can be used at any time for cooking and the result is a juicy and salty treat.

The Mopane worm has all but replaced traditional agricultural produce as a source of nutrition and income. From the onset of the rain season, when the Mopane forms its telltale leaves, the worms emerge from their cocoons and crawl down the tree. So do worm gatherers from all corners for the harvest.

The worm catching is in itself a spectacle to behold. Scores of people are fanned across the sparse bushes, carrying containers of every conceivable shape and size, filling them to the brim with nature's bounty. The worms are a delicacy mainly among the black population. Connoisseurs say that there are more than 20 ways to prepare the mopane worm dishes. Take them fried as a snack, cooked with tomatoes and onions, boiled or simply dried (See recipes below.) One enterprising entrepreneur has even contemplated canning them.

Whichever way they are prepared, health experts wax lyrical about the dietary advantages of Mopane worms. They more contain protein and roughage than ordinary oats. Posters at health centers in the rural areas recommend the worms as supplement for pregnant women and those living with HIV.

There are those among us who would only eat Mopane worms at gunpoint. The reason is purely psychological. Admittedly, it takes one some time to acquire the taste. One just has to get over the initial phobia that associates the worms with other creepy-crawlies, experts say. In some cases this is blamed on adults who discouraged their children from eating the worms at an early age. This is in spite of the fact that the adults themselves grew up on a diet of worms.

The edible worms are just irresistible in a continent where hunger and famine stalks the land. Their respect knows no borders. They can be found gracing the dinner tables of many households in South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) demand is outstripping supply with a kilogram fetching as much as US$5.

However, there are parts of the continent where the worms are, let’s say, despised. During a trip to Uganda in 1994, the writer attracted strange looks from his hosts when he tried to convince them that there was absolutely nothing wrong with having Mopane worms for dinner. A glossy magazine article that I presented as evidence, including graphic color photographs, only made things worse. In freezing Sweden, Scandinavian hosts could hardly disguise their shock when their Zimbabwean guests attempted to allay their fears describing in graphic detail how good the grubs tasted like. What else besides these awful things did these people eat, they wondered.

Back in Zimbabwe, hundreds of people flock to the southern regions from all corners to get a piece of the action. Predictably, politicians have also waded into the fray. Here, anything that smells of money attracts politicians like flies to a carcass. Government officials complain about the exploitation of poor rural villagers by unscrupulous traders who peg the price at 500,000 Zimbabwean dollars (US$4) for a 20-litre bucket. The going market rate is US$5 a kilogram in the DRC.

Local authorities in areas where Mopane worms are harvested have been vigorously campaigning for a ban on 'outsiders' cashing in on what is regarded by them as an exclusive resource. The issue has turned political and emotions run high at harvest time when scuffles break out between villagers and traders from the city. In Botswana, landowners charge the gatherers a fee for both camping on their property and harvesting.

These traders are sometimes accused of showing little respect for local customs and in turn, the environment. They needlessly chop down trees and desecrate sacred traditional shrines. At least one local authority is issuing licenses to approved traders while others insist on the locals doing the picking themselves and later selling the worms at set prices.

Unfortunately, at the height of the worm-picking season, poor and desperate villagers accept anything they are offered in return, from bags of corn meal, cups and plates to items of clothing in exchange for buckets of the worms. This has made them easy picking for unscrupulous buyers who are out to make a quick and easy buck.

Mopane worms are the salvation to an economically depressed and poverty stricken region. For a continent always reaching out its hand for assistance, the worms offer an opportunity for its people to improve their wretched lives. And they are not going to let any outsider take away their God given right.

RECIPES

Mopane Worm Stew
Ingredients: Dried mopane worms, Tomato (sliced), Onions (chopped), butter or cooking oil, chili sauce (to taste,) salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste Method:

Soak mopane worms in water until soft.
Fry onions in butter or cooking oil.
Add rest of ingredients and cook over slow heat until tender.
Serve with isitswala or sadza (pap or maize meal.)

Method 2
Ingredients 1 cup of dried mopane worms, 1 onion, chopped, 2 green peppers, sliced, 6 tomatoes, diced, 1 tablespoon curry powder, and ½ litre water.

Preparation Wash the worms and boil them for 30 minutes. Drain, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about an hour.

Mopane worms can also be soaked then fried to a crispy TV snack. Yum, yum, yum!