An older student came in on Wednesday and told Sasha he had something he wanted to show her. She followed him outside, where he had a very fat caterpillar. One of many infesting the nearby mango tree. She asked if they were poisonous, and he instantly grabbed it to check. Luckily- nope! The history teacher walked by and explained how to cook them, by squeezing them like toothpaste until a large gut piece came out. Theyre called “mphalabungu”- which vaguely means edible caterpillar. No one knew a specific name for it, but luckily someone on reddit knew the answer immediately. Turns out, they are a valuable delicacy in Zimbabwe, and a staple part of many peoples diets in rural Southern Africa. Not on Likoma though, we eat fish here!
On a side note Ryan walked into one of his classes this week and was surprised to find that one of the students had a small brown bird on a string. After asking the student about the winged guest she conversationally replied that it was “relish” also known as a side dish that goes with your Nsima.
Anyone from Likoma was mildly interested in trying some. People from the mainland had either tried them before or were disgusted at the idea of eating a caterpillar. Nkhokota advised to ask the students what they thought. As one of his students left, Sasha lifted the lid of her makeshift container, only to have the student scream and run to fits of laughter from us all. Christina had a very similar reaction when we asked for her help preparing them.
We collected a few leaves and set up a little home for two, and made a bowl of the rest. Devota came after class to squeeze out the insides. It was quite a brutal process. She said Sasha could not do it because of the texture of her fingers (yes she is also one that teases us for being unable to pick up nsima the temperature of boiling water). Sasha boiled them for an hour, and tried to find a spot to sundry them thought the crows looked to eager.
Ticket to Anywhere 