Nothing Says I Love You Like...A Deep-Fried Grasshopper

People eat all sorts of strange things all over the world....in Canada we have beavertails, Kraft Dinner with chopped up hot dogs and french fries covered in cheese curds. Here in Tanzania, well in the last week or so...I've seen deep-fried flies (in my french fries) and a deep-fried ant (in my samosa). Accidents do happen...and I am sure those two bugs are missed by their family and friends. However as most travellers to exotic locales (like Hamilton) know sometimes people eat bugs on purpose....

I just came back from an internship-related trip to the Lake region of Tanzania. We visited the cities of Mwanza, right on the shore of the largest lake in Africa, Lake Victoria, and Shinyanga (a city in the semi-arid region of Tanzania about 2 hours south of Mwanza). The purpose of the trip was to visit rural entrepreneurs and learn about this business successes and challenges. More on that in an upcoming entry...but first here is something very interesting which, as usual, I managed to discover completely by accident.


We (Pat-my fellow intern, Mr. Goodluck Mmari- our professorial escort from MUCCoBS, and Mr. Jaffrey, our drunk and driving driver) we all sitting down to dinner at a nyama choma place in Mwanza, when a young man carrying a large covered box approached and asked us if we wanted to buy what was inside. Since everything was being said in Swahili...Mr. Mmari, answered for the group and said "Hapana Ahsante-No Thank You!" I asked what was in the box and was told nonchalantly....Grasshoppers!


In the Lake Victoria region apparently, the greatest delicacy of all is the fried or smoked soft, seasonal grass hoppers “ensenene”. In particular, it seems there is a tribe in Tanzania, the Haya, that consider a bag of fried grasshoppers to be the ultimate present to get your sweetheart if you have been away. It's a sign of affection and something you are required to purchase if you haven't seen the man or woman you love for a few days, weeks or even months. And is a present that is expected if you have travelled away for any period of time. As much as I was dying to chase the guy and look in the box in order to take a photo, I restrained myself and you all will have to be satisfied with the photo below courtesy of Google images.



Here is a recipe that I found in case anyone reading this wants to give them a try:

There are many ways of preparing ensenene, this recipe spices the dish up with the addition of chilli, onion and ghee.


Ingredients
- 4 mugs of live, fresh ensenene
- Chilli powder to taste- 2 mugs water
- 1 large onion, chopped- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon mature ghee


Pluck the wings and limbs off the grasshoppers. Put the insects in a pan. Add the salt and water and cook slowly on low heat for about 20 minutes. Drain off the water. Put the ghee in a small bowl, thoroughly stir in the chilli powder and put aside. Put the drained grasshoppers in a heavy bottomed pan and cook over low heat, stirring all the time until the water evaporates. Add half the ghee and continue stirring over low heat for about 10 minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn. (If you don’t like chilli, use the ghee without it.) Finally, add the chopped onions and the remaining ghee. Keep stirring until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot.


Fried grasshoppers apparently taste just like chicken and are a crunchy and satisfying snack. I am sure they are tasty...but I am not prepared to try any anytime soon.