UgandAshis 69 Culinary delight: nsenene.

UgandAshis 69 Culinary delight: nsenene.

Kampala, Uganda, December 6th, 2009.

In different part of the world there are various delicacies in the cuisine. The French love frogs, in certain parts of Congo bushmeat (in other words monkey meat) is eaten, in China duck eggs are put in the ground for weeks and once I had the pleasure of eating goat rectum in India - quite rubbery I can tell you. Here in Uganda everybody goes crazy in the months of April and November. These months are the rainy season and bring with it scores of Ruspolia baileyi, nsenene or more commonly known as the grasshopper.

Age independent people collect them off walls, electricity cables attracting with lights, their weakness, as it blinds them they slide down on poles in eagerly awaiting pots making a nice side living and a juicy snack. Originally it were the women who collected them for their husband in exchange for a new gomasi (traditional dress). HIstorically they were not allowed to eat the delicacy as it was believed babies would be born with deformed heads. Another reason was that it could point out to possible infidelity of the woman.

One sign of emancipation in Uganda is the fact that nowadays both men and women are eating nsenene. Some even say it is a huge boost to the economy in the Buganda kingdom. Everywhere where you go in Kampala you find young men walking with a bucket on their head making 200 Schilling per portion and Sch 5000 (2,5 dollars a day)

Recipe for Ugandan chicken-grasshopper-sate.

Purchase

Grasshopper 250 grams
Chicken filet 500 grams
Ground nuts 250 grams
Soy sauce sweet 10 ml
Red chili pepper 4
Maize oil
Rice
Milk 250 ml

Pluck legs and antennas off grasshoppers and ground in a morsel. Then ground the groundnuts and put in a bit of boiling maize oil, add all milk. In a separate pot fry the chicken in oil and soy sauce, red chile freshly chopped. In pot three cook rice for 2. Add the finished chicken to the sauce (on a low fire and let it set for some minutes).

Voila, chicken-grasshopper-sate.

Namaskar,

Ashis Brahma

Check out a photo of these lovely and tasty insects

 
http://twitpic.com/senjk