Soldier termites 

 

 

Scientific name

Macrotermes falciger

 

Common names

Makeke in Sipedi language in South Africa

Soldier termite in English

 

 

Where can you find this insect ?

We found this insect in South Africa, in the village of Motupa, Limpopo province. This species is also consumed in other parts of Africa and in Latin America !

Harvesting

Soldier termites live inside termite mounds, which they have to defend. They are consumed grilled or dried in South African villages. They are harvested in a traditional way.

 

 

Taste and texture

We tasted some termites prepared by locals from Motupa village. The taste reminded us of grilled bacon! But the head of the termites was very hard and difficult to swallow…

 

Some recipes ! 

The termites can be cooked in different ways: dried and re-hydrated, or transformed in a powder and used in pastries. The rice with termites is one of the best recipes, but if you don’t like to see the termites as a whole, you might prefer the protein bar called TERMI’bar!

 

Nutritional composition

Dried soldier termites contain almost 3 times more proteins than fresh meat and are therefore a very valuable source of protein ! Indeed we have already made protein bars out of those termites in Motupa village.

 

Nutritional composition of soldier termites
Proteins	61 %
Lipids	7 %
Carbohydrates	0,3 %
Fibres	15 %
Minerals	10 %
Moisture	6,5 %
Energy	474 kcal/100g

 

You’ll find more detailed analysis in our publications !