Kunga cake
Huge swarms of Chaoborus edulis, resembling distant plumes of smoke, over Lake Malawi's water
Alternative namesKungu cake
Region or stateAfrican Great Lakes
Main ingredientsChaoborus edulis

Kunga cake or kungu is a food dish made of densely compressed midges or flies.[1] It is found in the African Great Lakes region, specifically countries surrounding Lake Malawi (Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique).

May Berenbaum, an American entomologist, discusses how swarms of midges can cause significant problems for local populations. She cites an example of swarms of Chaoborus edulis, a species of midge, forming near Lake Malawi and how the local people turn them into kunga cakes as a "rich source of protein", which is eaten "with great enthusiasm".[2] To catch the flies, a frying pan can be coated in cooking oil and then wafted through a swarm.[3]

In Insects: An Edible Field Guide, a book on the consumption of insects, author Stefan Gates suggests that people can "make burgers with it, or dry it out and grate parts of it off into stews" for "umami richness".[3] Adventurer Bear Grylls calls kunga cake "a great survival food".[4] Explorer David Livingstone claimed that they "tasted not unlike caviar".[5]

References

  1. ^ "Kunga cake". Media Storehouse. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  2. ^ Berenbaum, May (1993). Ninety-nine More Maggots, Mites, and Munchers.
  3. ^ a b Gates, Stefan. Insects: An Edible Field Guide.
  4. ^ Grylls, Bear. Extreme Food: What to Eat When Your Life Depends on It...
  5. ^ Morris, B. (2004). Insects and Human Life, pp. 73—76. ISBN 1-84520-075-6
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