Geographical

Official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

Uganda’s beneficial nsenene feast

3 minutes

A man holds an east african longhorn grasshopper to the camera
In Uganda, Ruspolia differens, the East African longhorn grasshopper, is known as nsenene

Photographer Eugénie Baccot explores the green-hued seasonal harvest of edible grasshoppers in Kampala, Uganda which provide much-needed protein and income

In spring and autumn, green clouds appear in the skies over Kampala, the capital of Uganda, heralding the arrival of the nsenene – an edible grasshopper.  Caught and consumed as a traditional snack, the large insects provide much-needed protein and sustenance for the city’s poor as well as an income for those who take part in the trade.

Children search the grass outside a house for grasshoppers
Children collect grasshoppers in a patch of grass in Kampala’s Wakaliga neighbourhood. Nsenene are considered something of a delicacy by Ugandans. They are typically boiled or sautéed in oil with a pinch of salt, a sweet pepper and a tomato
A man sets up some neon lights to lure the nsenene
The neon lights used to lure the locusts are so powerful that many hunters wear sunglasses. The power for the bright bulbs comes from rumbling generators linked to more or less legal connections to the city’s already precarious electrical system
A man holds a bag of grasshoppers in neon green light
Grasshoppers are sold in bags for a few thousand shillings (less than £2) in the markets, on the roadside and through the windows of the matatus – the minibuses that many locals use on a daily basis
Corrogated metal make up nsenene traps
Nsenene traps are made using long sheets of corrugated iron placed in metal barrels. The insects are attracted to strong lights. Dazzled by the light and then stunned by thick, acrid smoke rising from braziers in which twigs and plastic are being burned, the locusts rush into the barrels in their thousands
A boy surrounded by smoke holds some grasshoppers in his hand in green light
The arrival of the grasshoppers creates a vital source of income for hunters, vendors, cooks and others in what has become a lucrative seasonal trade
People hold open a white bag full of the grasshoppers
Unlike farmed insects, the wild grasshoppers are seasonal, so they are scarce when Kampala’s poor need them the most. The insects also appear to be suffering from a growing problem: overexploitation
Close up of a persons hands removing the tiny legs from a grasshopper
In the markets, women remove the tough, spiny legs from the grasshoppers before they put them out for sale
A busy market with colorful umbrellas and nsenene on-sale
Nsenene for sale in Kampala’s central market. The grasshoppers are highly nutritious, consisting of 44 per cent protein and with good ratios of essential amino acids and a high fat content. They’re also rich in vitamins and minerals, with higher levels of available nutrients than most plants
A street vendor with grasshoppers climbing on him and his brown hat
A street vendor wears grasshoppers that have escaped from the large jute bags in which they’re kept. Widely harvested and consumed in Zambia and regions around Lake Victoria, including Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the insects are known to be highly nutritious and believed to have specific medicinal properties