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Mopane Worms

Mopane worms are edible mopane caterpillars commonly dried, rehydrated, or cooked in savory dishes.

Mopane Worms — illustrative ingredient image

About Mopane Worms

Mopane worms is a common food-market name for processed mopane caterpillars, especially those sold dried or prepared for cooking. The product may be cleaned before sale, but the market term can cover whole caterpillars or cleaned pieces.

They are used in savoury dishes, often rehydrated and simmered with onions, tomatoes, spices, or a sauce. Their flavour can be earthy, smoky, and salty, depending on preservation and seasoning, while the texture is generally substantial and chewy.

Dried worms are typically dark, wrinkled, and firm; rehydrated or freshly cooked pieces are softer and chewy. The name may refer to whole dried caterpillars, cleaned pieces, or a cooked dish component, so appearance varies with commercial form.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where mopane worms appears

3 linked foods

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Main dishes

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 worms

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Mopane Worms

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

Mopane Worms nutrition & diet

Mopane Worms 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

Confirm that “mopane worms” refers to edible mopane caterpillars, then distinguish dried, rehydrated, boiled, fried, or stewed forms. Cleaning practices affect the edible portion. A reference should separate the plain insect from preparations containing oil, salt, spices, vegetables, sauces, or cereal accompaniments.

Compare the right form: Match references to identified edible mopane caterpillars, specifying species identity, cleaning, dried or cooked state, edible portion, and any recipe additions.

Diet considerations

Mopane worms are animal-derived caterpillars, so they do not fit vegetarian or vegan patterns. Processing may add oil, salt, or seasonings without changing that origin. Flour coatings, maize or other cereal accompaniments, and mixed stews can change gluten exposure and carbohydrate patterns; local naming should be verified.

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: .