Natural world

Mopane worm stew

Ingredients

1 cup of dried mopane worms
1 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, sliced
6 tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon curry powder
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.

Notes

Although this dish is an excellent main course, it can be served with cornmeal porridge for a great breakfast.

Mopane worms, the caterpillars of the anomalous emperor moth Imbrasia belina, get their names from the mopane tree that they eat. They are eaten as an addition to the porridge diet of the Venda people of South Africa.

The guts are removed by squeezing, 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. When cooked the worms are juicy and salty.

 

Warning !

All the recipes given here are based on traditional dishes eaten by people over many generations. There are small risks when eating insects, so it is recommended that:

• Nobody with an allergy to shellfish, chocolate or dust should try these recipes.
• All insects should be prepared exactly as described and thoroughly cooked before being eaten.
• Only the insects mentioned in the recipes should be used, as some other species are not edible. Please take care not to eat or even touch a hairy caterpillar in Britain.

All Illustrations by Steve Roberts