Nsenene is the Luganda name for Ruspolia differens:[1][2] a bush cricket (a.k.a. katydids or misnamed "long-horned grasshoppers") in the tribe Copiphorini of the 'cone-head' subfamily. It is often confused with the closely related Ruspolia nitidula.[3][4]
Nsenene (Known also as "Senene"). This species has long been known as one of the many totems of Buganda Kingdom of Uganda. They were founded by Seruwu Douglass from Ssese Islands in Masaka. This species is a delicacy in central and south-western Uganda, as well as an important source of income. The insect is also found in South Africa, Malawi, Ivory Coast, Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Burundi, Cameroon, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Madagascar, and Mauritius.[5] Traditionally in Uganda, nsenene were collected by children and women. They were given to the women's husbands in return for a new gomasi (a traditional dress for women). Although the women were made to do the treacherous work of collecting nsenene, they were never allowed to eat them. It was believed that women who consume nsenene would bear children with deformed heads like those of a conocephaline bush cricket. Nowadays, nsenene are consumed by most women in the areas where this insect is traditionally eaten. And mostly in Tanzania Haya Regions is considered as treaty and custom of welcoming accompanied dried coffee nuts
Nsenene is the Luganda name for Ruspolia differens: a bush cricket (a.k.a. katydids or misnamed "long-horned grasshoppers") in the tribe Copiphorini of the 'cone-head' subfamily. It is often confused with the closely related Ruspolia nitidula.
