It’s omajowa time!

Ron Swilling

After good summer rains, omajowa - the giant wild mushroom - emerges from the base of termite mounds, providing delicious veldkos for all. 

Sold along the roadside during the first few months of the year, the gigantic mushrooms provide an income for many in areas where there is little opportunity for work. For a short period, Omajowa sellers can be seen along the B1 to Otavi where the land is dotted with termite mounds. Here they wave their large fungal fare attracting people travelling to the North on weekends. Omajowas are also sold along the B2 near Wilhelmstal on the way to Swakopmund after sufficient rainfall.

Omajowa is the product of a symbiotic relationship between the fungus-cultivating termite or Macrotermes mossambicus/michaelseni and the fungus Termitomyces schimperi. The fungus benefits by enjoying a protected environment and in turn converts cellulose into simple sugars, making the termites’ food more-easily digestible. Luckily for us, a number of stems with fruiting bodies sprout and protrude from the termite mounds, to be harvested by the omajowa sellers and relished by us at home.

A wild Namibian delicacy and green-season treat, the omajowas can be cooked in many ways. They can be fried with asparagus and cherry tomatoes, added to an omelette, soup or stew, or like their smaller mushroom cousins they can simply be fried with garlic in butter and salted.

Thank you, good earth!