Harvesting and consumption of the giant African bullfrog, a delicacy in northern Namibia
Loading...
Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Namibia Press
Abstract
Namibia covers an area of approximately 800,000 square kilometres and has a human population of about 2.1 million. This gives an average density of about 2.6 people per square kilometre. Most of the people of Namibia belong to one of five main ethnic groups of African origin: the Aawambo, Ovaherero, Kavango, Caprivian,
and Damara and Nama peoples. The diet of ethnic Namibians comprises a variety of foods such as millet, sorghum, maize, sweet potatoes, groundnuts and fruits. Millet and maize are staple foods. Fruits are mainly wild and indigenous. Staple foods in northern Namibia are generally accompanied with indigenous vegetables, beef, lamb, mutton or fish. Giant African bullfrogs – locally known as efuma (sing.) or omafuma (pl.) – form a delicacy, especially during the rainy season (Figure 10.1). The Aawambo are not alone in appreciating these frogs (Pyxicephalus adspersus) as a delicacy. Reports exist of others also eating it within Namibia as well as elsewhere in southern Africa. For example, the Nsenga people in the eastern Luangwa Valley (Eastern Province, Zambia) also consume whole
bullfrogs, which they locally call kanyama kaliye fupa – the animal without bones.
The giant African bullfrog is distributed widely throughout southern and eastern
Africa (Figure 10.2) and found in areas of Namibia, Angola, Botswana, South Africa,
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya (Channing, 1991;
Conradie, Branch, Braack, & Manson, 2010; IUCN, 2011). It is reported to occur in
the central and northern areas of Namibia (Channing 1991; Griffin, 1997) and is found in considerable numbers on the northern plains, especially during the early rain season.
Description
Keywords
African bullfrog
Citation
Okeyo, D.O., Kandjengo, L., & Kashea, M.M. (2015). Harvesting and consumption of the giant African bullfrog, a delicacy in northern Namibia. In K.C. Chinsembu, A. Cheikhyoussef, & D. Mumbengegwi (Eds.), Indigenous Knowledge of Namibia (pp. 205-218). Windhoek: UNAM Press.