"They're tastier than they look. Edible insects in the form of wriggling maggots or hairy caterpillars are both delicacy and staple in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a central African nation of nearly 120 million people. In markets in the capital Kinshasa, tubs full of writhing white maggots line the alleyways, and women traders fry caterpillars, spiced with chili, over charcoal fires."
"Villagers harvest fresh caterpillars and maggots from rotting tree trunks in forested areas in the Congolese interior. From there, they're sent by the boatload down the Congo River the second-largest in Africa for sale in Kinshasa's markets. "People eat a lot of them," says Mamman Coco, who runs a stall overflowing with piles of maize flour, dried beans and edible insects, in the center of Kinshasa's sprawling central market."
Edible insects such as Mbinzo caterpillars and Mpose palm weevil larvae serve as both delicacy and staple in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Vendors sell writhing maggots and fried, spiced caterpillars in Kinshasa markets, where tubs of maggots and piles of fried caterpillars are common. Villagers harvest caterpillars and maggots from rotting tree trunks in forested interior areas and transport them by boat down the Congo River for sale. Mbinzo caterpillars are earthy and bitter and can sell for about $200 a kilo, while Mpose larvae can be eaten with rice or fufu or raised commercially.
Read at www.npr.org
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