{"id":26188,"date":"2023-03-12T14:46:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-12T14:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/south-african-entrepreneur-seeks-to-turn-caterpillars-into-tasty-snacks"},"modified":"2023-03-12T14:46:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-12T14:46:00","slug":"south-african-entrepreneur-seeks-to-turn-caterpillars-into-tasty-snacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/miscellaneous\/south-african-entrepreneur-seeks-to-turn-caterpillars-into-tasty-snacks","title":{"rendered":"South African entrepreneur seeks to turn caterpillars into tasty snacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>A start-up entrepreneur from South Africa wants to change the way edible caterpillars popularly known as \u201cmopane worms\u201d are viewed and eaten.<\/p>\n

For many people, particularly from western European backgrounds, the idea of eating insects is still riddled with fear and inhibition.<\/p>\n

But they can be a valuable source of nutrition and farming them is not detrimental to the environment.<\/p>\n

South African chemical engineer Wendy Vesela has found ways of turning the spiky green and black caterpillars \u2014 which are packed with protein and iron \u2014 into a flour that can be used in savoury biscuits, sweet chocolate protein bars, cereals or smoothies.<\/p>\n

When steamed and sliced, mopane pieces can also be used as pizza toppings.<\/p>\n

Vesela says she has found domestic and international customers for her organic products.<\/p>\n

Edible insects and worms may indeed be gaining popularity in Western cultures.<\/p>\n

But food anthropologist Anna Trapido insists that the trend should not be seen as just another dietary fad, a \u201ckind of adventure tourism, where you get a badge\u201d for eating them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMopane need to be treated with respect because they are part of people\u2019s emotional, spiritual, culinary genres,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In Vesela\u2019s home province of Limpopo, where she grew up in a town not far from the world-famous Kruger National Park, mopane is a staple food, cooked in a sauce of onions and tomatoes.<\/p>\n

\u2018More protein than steak\u2019<\/p>\n

The caterpillars are \u201ca healthier option of protein\u201d, she said. And it\u2019s \u201cnot a worm. So people have just to get over that fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vesela tried to woo reluctant customers with biscuits and protein bars at a recent food fair in Johannesburg\u2019s upmarket Sandton district.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t eat a worm. I\u2019m sorry, it\u2019s disgusting. But if you give it to me in the form of a chocolate… it\u2019s really delicious,\u201d said Gail Odendaal, 38, walking away with a bag of protein bars.<\/p>\n

Mopanes are environmentally friendly, too, requiring no extra water or land, as they breed and feed on mopane trees, which grow in hot and dry regions of southern Africa.<\/p>\n

They are a better source of protein than many other foods on the market, said dietitian, Mpho Tshukudu.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s high in protein, in essential fats and minerals, especially iron. It has more iron than the most expensive piece of steak,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

With demand rising since she started her venture seven months ago, Vesela plans to expand the business and have multiple harvests a year.<\/p>\n

She now hires rural women to gather mopanes when they are in season in December and April. The mopanes are gutted, boiled and dried to then be used whole or milled.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. A start-up entrepreneur from South Africa wants to change the way edible caterpillars popularly known as \u201cmopane worms\u201d are viewed and eaten. For many people, particularly from western European backgrounds, the idea of eating insects is still riddled with fear and inhibition. But they can be a valuable source of nutrition and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":26187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[233,246,245],"class_list":["post-26188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellaneous","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-lesotho","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\nSouth African entrepreneur seeks to turn caterpillars into tasty snacks - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/south-african-entrepreneur-seeks-to-turn-caterpillars-into-tasty-snacks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South African entrepreneur seeks to turn caterpillars into tasty snacks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Lesotho. 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