The Canon

Inswa

Inswabem

Also: Flying ants, Flying termites, Nswa, Ishwa

Seasonal alates (winged reproductive termites) caught after the first rains and pan-fried in their own fat with salt, eaten as a crunchy protein-rich snack or relish.

Identity criteria

  1. 1Made from winged termite alates, not ants despite the 'flying ant' nickname
  2. 2Cooked in their own rendered body fat, often with just salt
  3. 3Strictly seasonal — harvested after the first heavy rains
  4. 4Eaten as a crunchy snack on its own or as a relish with the staple starch

Components

Protein

Winged termites (alates)essentialWings usually removed before or during cooking

Aromatics

Onion, tomatooptionalAdded in some household versions

Fat

The termites' own rendered fatessentialThey are dry-fried and release enough fat to fry in

Seasoning

Saltessential

Technique

Dry-frying in own fat
Termites are fatty enough to fry themselves, crisping to a nutty crunch without added oil
De-winging
Wings are shed or removed so only the protein-rich bodies are eaten

Form & serving

Served
Eaten by the handful as a snack, or spooned as relish beside nshima/ugali
Temperature
Warm or room temperature
Portion
Small handfuls; a relish-sized portion with the staple
Pairs with
Nshima / ugali · Sadza · Tea

Character

Flavour

nuttysavoryrichsalty

Texture

Crisp exterior with a soft, fatty interior

Eaten

A seasonal treat tied to the first rains, gathered communally and shared as a prized fatty, protein-rich snack or relish.

When

rainy season · spring

Variations & related

Regional variations

  • Plain salted · Zambia

    Just dry-fried with salt, the most common form

  • With onion and tomato · Uganda / DR Congo

    Cooked down with aromatics into a richer relish

  • Sun-dried · Malawi

    Dried for storage and snacking out of season

Related dishes

  • pairs-with Nshima

    Commonly eaten as a relish with the maize staple

  • sibling Mopane worms

    Another southern African edible-insect protein

Substitutions

  • Winged termites → Other edible insects (caterpillars, crickets)inadmissible

    A different delicacy entirely, not inswa

  • Termite fat → Added cooking oiladmissible

    Acceptable when the catch is lean, though purists prefer self-rendered fat

Common mistakes

  • Calling them ants — they are termite alates
  • Adding oil when the termites already render plenty of fat
  • Expecting year-round availability rather than the short post-rain window

Provenance

A widely shared seasonal delicacy across the Bemba- and Bantu-speaking belt of Southern and Central Africa, harvested communally during termite swarming after the rains.

Shared by: Zambia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi

References

  1. 1.Central/Southern African food ethnography
  2. 2.Entomophagy literature

Confidence: high