Tibati - Swazi Delicacy :-/

If someone tells me I have not fully integrated into the Swazi culture, I'm going to show them these pictures. This past Wednesday I roamed the bush with my older bhuti, Sandile, and his daughter, Neliswa, to capture over 80 of the largest caterpillars I have ever seen! In siSwati they are called "tibati", and this is the time of the year that they are out in full swing. If left alone to their own natural development they turn into little white butterflies. But no, we did not allow this to occur. They were captured so I could learn how to properly make them. I'll let the photos do most of the talking. Start at the last picture and work up. I don't know why they loaded backwards.


Yum... NOT! The following morning at 6am Sandile brought them out and then everyone watched as I ate some. They tasted chewy, salty, and just plain gross. My family also made me get a dish from my hut so I could save some for Laura who was coming over later that day. She tried a couple, but we gave the rest to the BoMake at the preschool.



Sandile put water and lots of salt in with the de-gutted wormy shells. Then they were boiled over the fire until all the water evaporated and the entire caterpillar became dry. Supposedly they tasted better cooled the next day, so I got out of eating them that night. THANK GOD, my stomach probably couldn't have handled them just then.


Yuck.


Lindo was the only one willing to help me in my task of beheading and squeezing out the insides of ALL the catch, and even he came at the end. This was my own personal Fear Factor Swaziland.


This is my new garden, which is growing actually Darryn-edible food! There is a small chili visible and it makes me sooooo happy. Sandile has promised to look after my baby plants while I'm at the youth camp for three weeks. Yay veggies!