In the Central African Republic, the wet season is greeted with joy, as abundant rain bring luxurious vegetation and swarms of caterpillars, which are a treat for a sizeable section of the population.
As early as May, when the rainy season starts, many Central Africans turn their backs on mushrooms and other snails to garnish their table with plates of worms.
Before ending up in the consumer’s saucepan, caterpillars are usually taken to the city from the equatorial forest by the Pygmies.
They pluck worms from tree leaves, on tree trunks or simply pick them from the foot of trees, where some caterpillars fall after consuming some extra vegetation.
Better still, caterpillar tents are pitched in the middle of the forest, to facilitate large scale collections of worms.
Once harvested, they are dried in the fire or under the sun, before they are put on sale in bowls, plates or spread on cloths laid on the floor.
A tour of Bangui market offers an idea of the variety of caterpillars available to satisfy the palate of customers in CAR.
Roughly, there are hairy caterpillars, while others have beaks or are straight smooth.
The name for it varies from one national language to another:
It’s known as “ndossi”, “guegueret”, “mboyo” and “ngboungbou.”
The latter name derives from the Sango language, the most widely spoken in the Central African Republic.
But these different names do no matter.
The fact is many Central Africans are so fond of caterpillars that every time the latter swarm the market, there is a slump in the demand for all other consumables, including even beef, considered the staple food of the population.
The caterpillar is appetizing mainly because it can spice up almost all other foodstuffs.
Thus, it comes in handy when preparing peanut paste, tomato sauce, cassava ball or plantain.
Similarly, it can be cooked over low heat or fried with oil.
Used in the morning for breakfast or lunch, it is the choicest food for Gina Yambo and her family.
Spending only CFA1,000 on them, she gives her husband and five children a good treat for breakfast or lunch.
The caterpillar’s affordability explains why it is the food of choice in a country where the cost of living is prohibitively expensive, mainly thanks to the permanent state of insecurity caused by years of conflict.
“Currently, every family finds food every day,” says Ambroise Kone, a consumer found bargaining for a plate of fresh caterpillars at the Bangui market.
To the delight of Central Africans, the kind of dried caterpillar found at the market is their favourite, pending the end of the rainy season.
A wise trader, Natacha Gnabode swapped her usual trade in shrimp and smoked fish for the sale of caterpillars.
Sitting in front of her business at Guitangola Carriere Market in Bangui, she flashes a warm smile, making no secret of her satisfaction with the smooth running of her enterprise.
Every morning, she rides her bike to buy Yatimbo’s caterpillars worth CFA15,000.
After resale, she goes home with a profit of CFA25,000.
According to nutritionist Koumazi Mala, his compatriots are not wrong in their craving for caterpillars because they contain a lot of proteins that are supplementary to the diet of infants.
However, some Central Africans complain of itches and stomach pains, once they stop eating caterpillars, for one reason or another.
Other Central Africans point out that after their first bite of a dish of caterpillar, they developed allergies in the form of vomiting or gastroenteritis.
But these cases are seen as very marginal and the majority of Central Africans, especially those living in equatorial areas, indulge their craving for caterpillars, without restraint, making it a very old culinary habit they are unwilling to banish just yet.
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