Catatos (Angolan Fried Caterpillars)

Catatos are dried caterpillars fried with garlic, onion, peppers and tomato. They are an Angolan dish, eaten with rice or funge and hot sauce, and they are entirely ordinary food there. Edible caterpillars are a serious food source across Central and Southern Africa, not a novelty. The mopane worm, the caterpillar of the emperor moth that feeds on mopane trees, supports a substantial harvesting and trading economy across Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and South Africa, and related species are gathered and dried across Angola and the Congo basin. They are seasonal, they are dried for storage, and they are traded in markets by the sack. The texture, when cooked properly, is soft inside with a crisp exterior, and the comparison people most often reach for is prawns. The dried caterpillars are rehydrated first, which is what the initial soaking is for. Africa has a long and unbroken tradition of eating insects that Europe and North America are only now rediscovering under the heading of alternative protein. It is worth stating plainly that this is established food with established techniques, not an experiment. The source names a specific seasoning cube brand, which has been described generically here.