Madora

Ingredients

Worms

• 150 gdried madora (mopane worms, the caterpillar of Gonimbrasia belina)
• 1 litrehot water for soaking
• 1 tspsalt

Frying

• 3 tbspvegetable oil or peanut oil
• 1large onion, sliced
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 2garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tspchilli powder or 2 fresh chillies, chopped
• 1 tspsalt
• ½ tspground black pepper

To serve

• sadza
• a squeeze of lemon (optional)

Directions

1. Rub the dried worms between your palms in a dry bowl to knock off the fine spines and dust, then rinse them in two changes of cold water until the water runs clear.
2. Cover with hot water and the salt and soak for 2 to 4 hours, until they swell, soften and take on the look of dark twisted sausages.
3. Drain, put them in a pot with fresh water to cover and boil for 25 to 30 minutes, until a worm squashes easily between finger and thumb. Drain again and pat dry.
4. Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat and fry the drained worms for 6 to 8 minutes, without crowding, until the outsides crisp and darken and they smell nutty and smoky.
5. Lift them out and cook the onion in the same pan for 6 minutes until soft and golden at the edges.
6. Add the garlic and chilli for 30 seconds, then the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cook 8 minutes, mashing, until the tomatoes break down and the oil separates.
7. Return the worms and turn them in the sauce over low heat for 5 minutes, until each one is coated and the sauce has reduced to cling rather than pool.
8. Taste and adjust the salt and chilli, then serve hot as a relish with sadza, using the maize to scoop.

Technique

• Harvesting and drying is the first half of the recipe and happens in the bush: the caterpillars are picked off mopane trees in the wet season, the gut is squeezed out from head to tail, they are boiled in salted water and then sun-dried on rocks for two to three days until rattling hard.
• Never skip the boil. Properly dried madora are shelf-stable for a year, but rehydrating and boiling is what makes them safe, digestible and tender rather than leathery.
• They are a serious protein source, roughly 50 to 60 per cent protein by dry weight, and in Zimbabwe and Botswana they are a seasonal cash crop, not a novelty.
• People with shellfish allergy often react to edible insects too, since both carry tropomyosin. Treat a first taste with the same caution.

Substitutions

• Fresh madora, available in season, need no soaking: clean, boil 20 minutes and fry. If you can only get untreated dried ones with spines intact, extend the rubbing and rinsing stage.

Variations

• Madora akakangwa is the plain version, simply dry-fried with salt and eaten by the handful as a snack with beer.
• Some Matabeleland cooks finish the tomato version with a spoonful of peanut butter for a thicker, richer relish.

History

Mopane caterpillars harvested from mopane woodland in November and April, gutted, boiled and sun-dried; the trade is run largely by rural women.

Frequently asked questions

What is Madora?

Madora is a snack from Zimbabwe: dried mopane worms fried with tomato and chili. Mopane caterpillars harvested from mopane woodland in November and April, gutted, boiled and sun-dried; the trade is run largely by rural women.

How long does Madora take to make?

Madora takes 20 min plus soaking of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings as a relish. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Madora?

Yes, within limits. Fresh madora, available in season, need no soaking: clean, boil 20 minutes and fry. If you can only get untreated dried ones with spines intact, extend the rubbing and rinsing stage.

What is the most important thing to get right in Madora?

Return the worms and turn them in the sauce over low heat for 5 minutes, until each one is coated and the sauce has reduced to cling rather than pool.