How many times  in my life will I have the opportunity to eat a dish, prepared from healthy, full of protein worms?

I have been avoiding meat for 26 years.  I would like to have a vegan diet, my mornings will look like without scrambled eggs or dumplings? I know, I know ... there are vegan replacements, like vegetarian sausages. They can be tasty, but they are far from the real taste of sausage. Wait, wait a minute ... I do not remember how the sausage tastes... :)

But let's go back to the worms. Sloth likes to travel, sometimes leaves the tree and travels around the world. Two years ago together with my friends from Legal Nomads, I visited countries of southern Africa. W traveled through South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.

This is one of those travel of life when you change your surroundings completely, and you are almost cut off from Western civilization for two weeks. You discover new landscapes and completely different nations. And of course, you taste their dishes.

One of the elements of the expedition was a visit to the restaurant serving dishes from Zimbabwe and the surrounding areas. I was not particularly excited about this event. We know how it is ... a bit of dressing up in a kind of African clothes, drums, and richly set tables. Bending under steaks, stews, beautiful salads and boiled vegetables, floating in a fat, and cakes. I love cakes!

Is this what the typical dishes of people from Zimbabwe look like? Judging by 3 weeks on the trip, I do not think so. Unless at the court of Mr. Mugabe who was then in charge. But we were tourists... you know.

The basis for the food in this region is Sadza or Papa. This is cornmeal cooked with water. It's served with vegetables, fruits like mango and meat, like mopane worms.

These sweet worms, called by scientists Gonimbrasia belina, live on Mopane trees (Colophospermum mopane). For people of southern Africa, these animals are an equally important element of the diet. This protein-rich caterpillar is food for millions of people in these countries. Of course, I would prefer everyone to be vegetarian, but in some places in the world, it would be extremely difficult. I found out for myself in this place, where there are very few vegetables in winter, and the locals simply can not afford expensive imported products.

Mopane worms are served in a variety of ways. Both raw when they are completely drained or cooked, with onions, tomatoes, and spices. Something like worm-curry, but instead of rice we had Sadza. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? I was in two minds - try it or not. In the end, a worm is an animal. I refused to eat any mammals prepared to eat during an African evening. But worms... why not :) Once in my life I could try.

Without remorse, I sank my teeth in the worm. Hmmm ... it was quite soft. A bit like a mix of chicken and mozzarella. This is the best comparison that came to my mind then. The taste of the worm was covered by hot spices. Good for me! One was enough. It was not unpleasant or disgusting feeling. It was even better than fish or meat but I definitely think that it must be prepared in the Italian way ;) With basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Mopane Spaghetti? What do you think about it? Tofu made of worms - Wormfu?

I mention this because at the end I would like to recommend an article about an alternative idea to solve the problem of hunger in the world. This is important because millions of us are starving. So maybe instead of a steak or chicken a worm burger? 

http://ezramagazine.cornell.edu/Update/Dec15/EU.Cfu.Foods.html

Would you like to try it? Let's talk about it! :)

@veggie-sloth