Tanzania – Flying termites (Kumbikumbi) recipe (Insect Special)

By Robert Christopher

Flying termites are highly available around rainy seasons from February to April in East African countries, this is due to their fertility assurance to start new families as rainy bring about enough food harvest.

In Tanzania Flying Termites are easily caught around the anthills by pipe directing to the bucket. One must be able to distinguish that flying termites are with big body size from front to back, have same length wings and straight head antenna while flying ants have bigger bodies from back to narrow at front, short front wings and longer back wings as well as V-shaped head antenna.

Regions like Mwanza and Kagera they are not so much found but in Mara where Maasai tribe is found (in some parts) they are largely distributed. Maasai eat flying termites without cooking, this may be of the reason that they have with large amount of fats and taste.

We will prepare one delicious recipe from these flying termites, the preparations are short and easy, welcome.

Preparation and cooking procedures:

• Collect flying termites in a bucket or pan, using a wide pipe located from the anthill opens.
• Soak salt into water, use it to spray over the termites to give a taste, you may add pepper powder as well.
• Take frying pan and heat it up.
• Add flying termites to the pan, start frying them, keep moving them up down so that they don’t burn.
• There is no need for adding oil, they are fully oiled from their fats.

• After they have started to change color, remove from pan and put into the winnower, filter their wings by the wind process like cleaning rice as seen in picture below;

• After wings are filtered, put back into pan, and cook them slowly until all fats are well cooked. Don’t eat while all fats are not well cooked, they’ll give a bad taste.
• After they are well cooked, put into plate and enjoy the taste.

Take the cuisine with fried potato chips, banana or stiff porridge.