huan, well we are all going to be hearing a lot about Mopane, so...

huan,
well we are all going to be hearing a lot about Mopane, so while we wait for Woodside to announce something, here is a little bit of background information;

Mopane worms are regarded by some as a great delicacy. I never did like them very much. A snippet from Wikipedia;
Mopane worms are hand picked in the wild, often by women and children. In the bush, the caterpillars are not considered to belong to the landowner (if any), but around a house, permission should be sought from the resident. Chavanduka describes women in Zimbabwe tying a piece of bark to particular trees to establish ownership, or moving the young caterpillars to trees nearer home.[7] When the caterpillar has been picked, it is pinched at the tail end to rupture the innards. The picker then squeezes it like a tube of toothpaste or lengthwise like a concertina, and whips it to expel the slimy, green contents of the gut.PreservingThe traditional method of preserving mopane worms is to boil them without adding any extra water after washing and adding a significant amount of salt. They are then dried in the sun or smoked, whereby they gain extra flavour. The industrial method is to can the caterpillars (usually in brine). Tins of mopane worms can be found in rural supermarkets and markets around southern Africa.[8]Dried mopane worms can be eaten raw as a crisp snack; however, in Botswana people tend not to eat the head. Alternatively, mopane worms can be soaked to rehydrate, before being fried until they are crunchy, or cooked with onion, tomatoes and spices and then served with pap or sadza.[9] The flesh is yellow, and the gut may still contain fragments of dried leaf, which is not harmful to humans. The taste of dried leaves, if not removed, is somewhat reminiscent of tea leaves. Dried mopane worms are frequently canned/packaged in tomato sauce or chili sauce to enhance the flavour.


The Mopane tree itself looks unremarkable, but it is unique in its hardness and toughness. I had to chop some of these down while surveying a development site and my workforce never forgave me. After Kariba Dam was flooded, normal trees rotted and disappeared whereas the Mopane tree trunks still stand, some sixty years later, bleached white and still strong. Also from Wikipedia;
Mopane wood is one of southern Africa's heaviest, with a density of 1.075 g/cm3 whencompletely dry, and is difficult to work because of its hardness.[5] However, this also makes ittermite resistant. For this reason it has long been used for building houses and fences, asrailway sleepers and as pit props. The termite-resistance and rich, reddish colouring also makeit popular for flooring. Outside Africa, mopane is gaining popularity as a heavy, decorativewood, its uses including aquarium ornaments, bases for lamps or sculptures, and gardenaccents.It is also increasingly being used in the construction of musical instruments, particularlywoodwind. Suitable quality African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon), traditionally used forclarinets, is becoming harder to find. Mopane is fairly oily, seasons very well with few splits orshakes, and produces instruments of a warm, rich tone.[6] Clarinets made of mopane are offeredby the manufacturers Seggelke Klarinetten, F. Arthur Uebel and Buffet Crampon.Mopane twigs have been traditionally used as tooth brushes, the bark to make twine and fortanning leather, and the leaves for healing wounds. The wood is also used to make charcoal andfor braai wood.