About Us
At the heart of our business is our commitment to offering the very best value for money in Masonja, sourced from the Southern Africa in countries like South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe – and distributed from the business hub in Midrand, Gauteng and Tzaneen in the Limpopo Province.
What is Masonja
Despite their name, mopane worms are not worms at all, but the caterpillar of a species of emperor moth known as Gonimbrasia belina. The worms are highly nutritious, and some even regard them as truly delicious. Mashonzha also called Mopane Worms, Mopani Worms, Masonja or Amasonja are a delicacy throughout Southern Africa in countries like South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Mopane worms get their English name from their preference for mopane trees, a relatively common species found in the northern areas of Southern Africa. The best time to harvest them is late in their larval stage, when they’re plump and juicy and haven’t yet burrowed underground to pupate into their moth phase. Mopane worms are called phane in Botswana, mashonja/masonja/madora in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and omangungu in Namibia.
High Protein
The mopane worm is a healthful and cheap source of nutrition. Masonja, is high in protein, minerals, vitamins, phosphorus, zinc, calcium and iron.
The worms are high in healthy nutrients and contain three times the amount of protein as beef. Eating worms is less taxing on the environment than consuming beef because it takes far fewer leaves to produce worms than it does feed to produce the same amount of beef.The mopane worms pack a serious nutritional punch, consisting of 60% protein and high levels of iron and calcium.
Recipe
Ingredients:
500 grams dried mopane worms;
Three tomatoes, diced or 1 can of tomatoes;
Two onions, diced;
Three fresh green chilies, finely chopped;
Salt and pepper for taste
Cooking oil Method
Start of by soaking your worms in the boiling water for 1 and a half – 2 hours. Once they are done soaking, drain the excess water. In a sauce pan, add the cooking oil and fry the worms for 15 minutess on medium to low heat. Add the onion and fry till the onions are cooked through and soft. Add the tomato with the salt and pepper. Fry everything together and let it cook for another 20 mins. Some prefer adding peanut butter at this stage and cooking it down until it is nice and creamy. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pap, called sadza in Zimbabwe. Enjoy.