While not all frog species are edible, many are, and the people of Kumbungu have been consuming frogs for a long time even though they have not highlighted it enough, according to Ras Mubarak, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kumbungu Constituency in the Northern Region.
Ras Mubarak also explained that the people of Kumbungu have been eating delicious and nutritious meat for centuries.
He noted that many other people in the world consume frogs, just like the people in his constituency.
His remarks follow a recent controversy involving the King of Kumbungu, who gifted frog meat to Chef Faila (Failatu Abdul Razak) during her endeavour to break the world record for the longest cooking marathon in Tamale. The marathon concluded today.
“Yes we eat frogs in Kumbungu. And we are not alone in the world. The French, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Italians, Thai, Greeks, South Africans, some Americans in the South, Cambodians, Indonesians and a host of others in Asia and Europe.
“While other countries even export it, those of us from Kumbungu have rather been coy about our love for frog meat.
“They are proven to be rich in minerals like protein, vitamin A, and Potassium. There are about 7,500 species of frogs. Before you start catching frogs in your backyard for the pot, I must caution you and make the point forcefully. not every frog is edible; some frogs are poisonous,” Ras Mubarak explained on social media.
He then urged the people of Kumbungu to take advantage of the publicity brought to them through the cookathon controversy to market their edible frogs, get non-natives to consume it and attract tourists to the area through frog meat exhibitions.
“Thanks to the kind donation of cash amount, food items and a bucket of frogs by HRM, the King of Kumbungu, towards Faila’s cook-a-thon, the local media is beginning to show interest in a local delicacy that’s been eaten by the people of Kumbungu for hundreds of years.
“For those of us from Kumbungu, the time has come for us to begin to sell the idea that our frogs are not only delicious but can be eaten by non-natives of Kumbungu.
“We should go a step further, as part of plans to attract local and foreign tourists to Kumbungu, to do an exhibition on frogs,” he added.
The presentation of frogs to the Chef sparked curiosity about their edibility. However, it was revealed that frogs are indeed edible and are consumed by various ethnic groups across the country.