Catatos is a traditional Angolan dish made with fried caterpillars and garlic. It is often served over rice. The dish is a specialty of the

Uíge Province Uíge (pronunciation: ; ) is one of the eighteen Provinces of Angola, located in the northwestern part of the country. Its capital city is of the same name. History During the Middle Ages, the Uíge Province was the heartland of the Kongo Ki ...

in northwestern

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

Background

The consumption of insects is an ancient indigenous tradition in many parts of the world, including southern Africa, due to their high nutritious value. A number of edible insects, including caterpillars and other larvae, are eaten in the

of Angola where they play a substantial role in rural diet. Of these, the mopane worm (''Gonimbrasia belina''), a type of caterpillar, is one of the most widely consumed species. Approximately 9.5 billion mopane worms are harvested yearly in southern Africa. Other caterpillar species traditionally eaten in Angola include the larvae of the '' Imbrasia epimethea'', ''Imbrasia ertli'' and ''

Usta terpsichore ''Usta terpsichore'', the cavorting emperor, is a species of moth in the family Saturniidae. It is found in Angola, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The larvae feed on '' Commiphor ...

''. Traditional methods of gathering and preparation vary depending on the species. Children are often sent to gather them from the trees, while adults gather them in the fields. Sometimes, trees may be cut down and split to gather the caterpillars inside. Caterpillars are washed in water, and their

digestive tract The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the Digestion, digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascula ...

may be removed as part of the cleaning process.

Urticating hair Urticating hairs or urticating bristles are one of the primary defense mechanisms used by numerous plants, almost all New World tarantulas, and various lepidopteran caterpillars. ''Urtica'' is Latin for "nettle" (stinging nettles are in the genu ...

s are singed off, if present. Catatos, a traditional Uíge dish, is made by frying caterpillars with garlic.

Preparation

The caterpillars are fried together with garlic. Other ingredients, such as onion, tomatoes and pepper may be added for flavoring. The caterpillars take on a tender yet crunchy texture, and their taste has been compared to

prawns Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (members of the order of decapods), some of which are edible. The term ''prawn''Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature's most ...

. It is usually served over

funge or (Angola) or (Congo - DRC and the Congo Republic) is a traditional African swallow made of cassava flour whisked into boiling water. It can also be made with sorghum, maize, or millet. It can be served with textured vegetable, fish, or meat ...

Hot sauce Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa (sauce), salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of Mass production, mass-produced hot sauce exist. History Humans have used chili peppers and other ho ...

may also be added.

Nutritional value

Caterpillars are high in protein, vitamins and minerals, including iron. A study published in 2017 found that ''Imbrasia epimethea'' larvae had a comparable amount of protein to

tuna A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

and

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

, but lower levels of

essential amino acid An essential amino acid, or indispensable amino acid, is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized from scratch by the organism fast enough to supply its demand, and must therefore come from the diet. Of the 21 amino acids common to all life forms ...

s. They are rich in

polyunsaturated fatty acid In biochemistry and nutrition, a polyunsaturated fat is a fat that contains a polyunsaturated fatty acid (abbreviated PUFA), which is a subclass of fatty acid characterized by a backbone with two or more carbon–carbon double bonds. Some polyunsa ...

s. The study also found that cooking did not significantly impact nutritional value, making them a viable alternative to traditional meats. Mopane caterpillars have 31 mg of iron per 100 mg of dry weight, compared to 6 mg of iron per 100 mg of dry weight for beef.

References

{{Authority control Angolan cuisine Insect dishes