Entomophagy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Entomophagy is the eating of insects. This is a regular culinary practice in many parts of the world, including Central and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia, but uncommon and even taboo in some societies.
Some insects are eaten as larvae, others as adults. Over 1200 species of insects are used as food by people throughout the world. Commonly eaten insects and arachnids include grasshoppers, crickets, beetle larvae, moth larvae and pupae, spiders, tarantulas, and scorpions.
Some people propose the development of entomophagy to provide a major source of protein in human nutrition. Since it is impossible to entirely eliminate pest insects from the human food chain, insects already are present in many foods, especially grains. Most people do not realize that food laws in many countries do not prohibit insect parts in food, but rather limit the quantity.
The cultural materialist anthropologist Marvin Harris has posited that the eating of insects is taboo in cultures that have protein sources requiring less work, like farm birds or cattle. However, cultures in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe have strong cattle-raising traditions and also eat insects, such as the mopane worm.
[edit] See also
- Taboo food and drink
- Wikipages of insect species used as food are tagged and may be found in the Category:Insects as food.
[edit] External links
- Insects as Human Food Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet on Entomophagy
- Outside Magazine: It's Hard to Eat Just One, April 1997
- Creepy Crawly Cuisine, a site made to encourage American people to eat bugs
- Yahoo Directory: Entomophagy
- University of Kentucky: Insect Snacks from Around the World
- Insects as Food, by Gene DeFoliart; Home Page - much information about insects as a food resource
