Insects are yummy!

One of the most delicious traditional Zambian meals that I have ever tasted is that of the nshima (maize meal cake), the country’s staple, served with roasted or pan fried insects. One of the most common insects that are edible in Zambia are flying ants locally known as inswa. Caterpillars which we call finkubala, are also on the list of the most delicious and nutritious treats. Other delicious insects include mafulufute, shongonono (green grasshoppers), nyenje and chenje (cicadas). All these edible insects are seasonal and therefore have enabled people to tak advantage of what is provided in the natural environment. The edible insects are available either during the rainy season between November and April or during the dry season from May to October. One of the most anticipated seasons of the year in rural Zambia is that of the rainy season. After six months of cold, dry, and then finally scorching dry October heat, the first torrential rains are welcome in November. By this time of the year, most rural Zambians will have depleted over half of the stocks of crops that had been harvested and stored away in a nkhokwe traditional storage structure six months earlier. The rains are always a relief from the heat and constitute a strong symbolic renewal of life as people plant their crops for the new growing season. One of the most fascinating changes in the natural environment after the first rains is a sudden explosion of green vegetation and the emergence of myriad insects from their hibernation or seasonal synchronized hatching cycles. Among the thousands of insects that suddenly emerge after the first rains are several edible ones including the inswa (flying ants) and mafulufute. The inswa breed and establish large colonies in large anthills of the savannah that often dot the grasslands. The breeding cycle of the inswa is such that they come out of and fly in massive numbers during several nights after the first rains. Zambians who live near urban areas will often sell surplus caterpillars in the city markets at affordable prices particularly for the urban poor. The insects provide a very important source of food supplement especially for rural Zambians. The insects have been endorsed as a very important source of protein in the diet of Zambians. As described by Professor Mwizenge S. Tembo