Insects

Mopane Worms

Phane

Botswana

Mopane worms — caterpillars of Gonimbrasia belina, cooked in hot ashes, boiled, or dried and fried with chili and garlic; a highly nutritious protein source and delicacy of Botswana, harvested from mopane trees.

🍽️ InsectsStreet foodUncommon
Mopane Worms sticker illustration

Original eatfuls sticker artwork

What it is

A closer look at Mopane Worms.

Mopane worms — caterpillars of Gonimbrasia belina, cooked in hot ashes, boiled, or dried and fried with chili and garlic; a highly nutritious protein source and delicacy of Botswana, harvested from mopane trees.

What to look for

Know it when you find it.

The worms should be crispy from frying, the chili and garlic giving flavour; dried for storage and rehydrated when needed; eaten as a snack or with pap; a delicacy across southern Africa, known as phane in Botswana.

Where it belongs

Origins and
traditions.

Food rarely respects a border. These are the places the dataset connects most strongly to Mopane Worms.

Native to

Botswana

Country-wide tradition

Explore Source ↗

Names around the table

One food, more than one name.

Mopane Wormsprimary
Phanelocal · 🇧🇼

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