Mopane Worms - Nutritious and Delicious?

The Boma restaurant is a classic tourist venue set in the lovely grounds of the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. Dinner at the Boma is a legendary affair, with what looks like literally hundreds of local dishes served in buffet style, including impala terrine and sadza. A witchdoctor is available to tell your fortune by throwing his bones; dancers entertain with Shona and Ndebele acts; and then ... there's the vat of Mopane worms.

Most people who enjoy Mopane worms obviously do not get certificates when they eat a solitary grub. Normally, you'll see huge bags of dried and/or smoked Mopane worms in local markets throughout rural Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. They're greyish looking when dried (after their green guts have been squeezed out) and at first glance you might think they're a bean of some kind.

Mopane worms get their English name from hanging out on Mopane trees which are prevalent in Southern Africa. And they are not worms, but caterpillars, the larvae of the Emperor Moth. The best time to harvest them is when they are at maximum plumpness, late in their larval stage and before they bury themselves in order to re-appear as an Emperor moth. The Mopane worms like the Mopane tree, but they also feed off mango trees and other bushes. They are a seasonal delicacy, but you can also buy cans of Mopane worms soaked in brine in some local supermarkets. I looked around in vain for them at local Spars and Shoprites -- but failed to find them on my last trip to the area. Great souvenir idea I thought.

Mopane (sometimes spelled Mopani) worms are called phane in Botswana, mashonja in Zimbabwe and parts of South Africa, and omangungu in Namibia. Nutritionally they pack a punch consisting of 60% protein along with good amounts of iron and calcium. Since they require little input in the way of resources, it has become a valuable and profitable source of food and income. In South Africa it is a muli-million Rand industry. I heard complaints about the smaller size of mopane in a rural market in Livingstone, Zambia. Most likely a case of harvesting them too soon. Deforestation and over-harvesting are both issues that are affecting the supply of mopane worms.

Moroccan cuisine

Moroccan cuisine has long been considered as one of the most diverse cuisines in the world. The reason for this was Morocco's relationship with the outside world for many centuries. Cuisine of Morocco - the connection of Arab, Berber, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and African cuisines. Cooks royal kitchens of Fez, Meknes, Marrakech, Rabat and Tetouan refined Moroccan cuisine over the centuries and created the basis for what today is known as Moroccan cuisine.

Key ingredients

Morocco raises a wide range of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables, and even some rain. The country produces a large number of sheep, poultry, livestock and seafood products, which are the basis for the kitchen.

Use of spices

Spices are used extensively in Moroccan food. While the spices were imported to Morocco for thousands of years, many of the components, such as saffron from Tiliouin, mint and olives from Meknes, and oranges and lemons from Fez, are grown in local fields. The most common are karfa spices (cinnamon), kamoun (caraway), harkoum (turmeric), skinbir (ginger), libzar (black pepper), tahmira (red pepper), sesame seeds, kasbour (coriander), maadnous (parsley), zaafrane Belda (saffron) and mint.

Main Dishes

The main Moroccan dish, which most people are familiar - is couscous, which is a very old dish and is probably of Berber origin.

Chicken - the most frequently-used meats in Morocco. Usually red meat in Morocco - is beef. Lamb is more preferable, but also more expensive. The breed of sheep bred in North Africa, has a fat back, which means that the Moroccan lamb does not have the sharp scent, which usually have Western lamb and mutton.

Among the most famous Moroccan dishes Couscous, Pastilla (also called Besteeya or Bastila), Tadzhine, Tanja and Hariri. Although the latter dish is a soup, it is considered as a separate dish, sometimes served with dates, especially during the month of Ramadan.

Desserts
Sweets are not necessarily served at the end of eating. The most common dessert - Ka'b al zhzal ( "gazelle horns"), which is a pastry filled with almond paste and sprinkled with sugar. Another dessert - honey cake, which has a specific form of a pretzel with roasted fried parts, which are then dipped in hot honey and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Halva shebaiki a - biscuits, which is eaten during the month of Ramadan.

The mint tea that is common place with the main meal is also probably the most popular drink in general in Morocco. Making a good mint tea is considered an art form and drinking tea with friends and family is a very important part of the day. As important as the making of the tea is the pouring of it which can be quite tricky for the novice as the pot used is quite large with a long, curved spout and poured in to the glasses from quite a height.