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Mopane Caterpillar

Mopane caterpillars are edible caterpillars traditionally harvested and dried or cooked as a protein-rich food.

Mopane Caterpillar — illustrative ingredient image

About Mopane Caterpillar

Mopane caterpillar refers to the edible larval form of a moth associated with mopane woodland, commonly collected seasonally and processed before eating. The caterpillars are often gutted or otherwise cleaned before cooking or preservation.

They are eaten as a savoury ingredient, commonly rehydrated or cooked with onions, tomatoes, spices, or other sauce ingredients. Flavour ranges from smoky and salty to earthy, with a substantial chew, depending strongly on cleaning and preservation.

Products may be sold fresh, dried whole, dried cleaned pieces, or cooked in prepared dishes. Dried pieces are dark, firm, and wrinkled; cooked pieces are softer and chewy, so preparation changes both appearance and texture.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where mopane caterpillar appears

1 linked foods

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Snacks

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for mopane caterpillar

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Mopane Caterpillar

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Mopane Caterpillar nutrition & diet

Mopane Caterpillar nutritional value

Mopane worm, canned — WAFCT 07_056

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the named food form.

Calories
97kcal
Protein
14.1g
Carbs
0.7g
Fat
3.6g

Per 100 g edible portion. Source: Vincent et al., FAO/INFOODS Food Composition Table for Western Africa (2019). Carbohydrate is available carbohydrate calculated by difference; square-bracketed fat in the source uses continuous-extraction analysis. Values describe this reference form, not every recipe, cultivar or preparation.

Portions & preparation

Establish that the ingredient is edible mopane caterpillar and specify whether it is freshly cooked, dried, rehydrated, cleaned, or seasoned. The edible portion may exclude internal contents or other discarded material depending on processing. Compare plain caterpillar with preparations containing oil, salt, sauces, or other ingredients.

Compare the right form: Match a reference to the identified mopane caterpillar species and processing state, including cleaned edible portion, dried or rehydrated form, and recipe additions.

Diet considerations

Mopane caterpillar is an animal-derived insect food and is not compatible with vegetarian or vegan patterns. Drying, rehydration, frying, and seasoning change the food form but not its animal origin. Flour coatings, cereal-based accompaniments, sauces, or added fat can alter gluten and carbohydrate considerations.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically incompatible
  • Vegetarian
    Typically incompatible
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically incompatible
The ingredient profile identifies an animal-derived food or derivative.
Vegetarian · Typically incompatible
The profile identifies animal flesh, seafood or a derivative excluded by a vegetarian diet.
Pescatarian · Not established
The animal source or category needs checking against the pescatarian definition.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: FAO/INFOODS Food Composition Table for Western Africa (2019) — 07_056 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .