Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects as a food source. Over 1000 species of
insects are eaten around the world by traditional human societies in Africa,
the Americas and Australasia. The Food and Agricultural Organisation estimated
that two billion of the world’s population regularly dine on insects.
When we hear the
expression hunter-gatherer we immediately think of meat, seafood, vegetables,
fruits, berries, seeds and nuts. Add insects to that list. Insects are
comparable to animal foods in their nutritional value. There are 14,000
year-old paintings on cave walls in Spain illustrating honey gathering and termite
collection.
Big Five
You might head to Kenya
or South Africa to see the big five. The insect world has a Big Five too, but
these all played a role in our survival. The Big Five that we and other
primates have enjoyed through evolution are:
1. Coleoptera (beetles)
2. Hymenoptera (ants,
bees, wasps – include honey)
3. Isoptera (termites)
4. Lepidoptera
(butterflies, moths – think also caterpillars)
5. Orthoptera (locusts,
crickets)
Although we have eaten
flies and aphids, the Big Five are usually easier to catch or appear
periodically in vast numbers, such as moths, caterpillars and locusts. A good
Australian example is the Bogong moth, popular with traditional Aboriginals of southern east coast. Many bees
do sting, but the honey pot pay-off has made it worthwhile for both humans and
chimpanzees.
Crickets tickle when they go down the throat
I know, because I
enjoyed them at a cricket farm in Hoi An, in central Vietnam, recently (see
pic). The crickets were raised by a three-war veteran and his son. His daughter
individually de-gutted the crickets, taking them up to premium quality. Fried
in oil and garlic they made a crunchy and tasty snack. You just have to first skip
through that psychological checkpoint many of us have.
Entomophagy tends to
include non-insects like arachnids (eg tarantulas) and myriapods (eg centipedes).
Yeah, I know, I think it would take more than a psychological warm-up to send
them down my gullet.
Delicious and nutritious
Insects have been
analysed for their nutrient content. On average, cockroaches are 57% protein
and 30% fat based on a dry weight, a similar protein and fat content to other
insects such as flies (50% protein; 23% fat), ants (47%; 25%), caterpillars
(45%; 28%) and crickets (61%; 13%), according to a review of 236 edible insects
(Rumpold 2013).
Their protein provides
all the essential amino acids needed for humans, while the fat is, in very
general terms, one third saturated fats, and two thirds a mix of monounsaturated
and polyunsaturated fatty acids. A decent meal of insects could give you 2100
kJs/500 Cals, which is pretty good as a food source when living off the land.
Insects are about 10%
fibre, mainly in the form of chitin, suspected to help control blood
cholesterol. Chitin gives insects their “crunchiness” – that’s their
exoskeleton. They are also an excellent source of essential minerals like iron
and zinc, along with B vitamins.
What does it all mean?
As westernised humans
overcome their food prejudices and continue to explore new foods and food
trends there is a good chance that you will have the opportunity to nibble on
insects. Enjoy the experience. In tough times there is no doubt that many
people around the globe will be relying on insect nutrition because this food
source reproduces rapidly, efficiently converts feed to growth, take little
space and aren’t fussy eaters.
Technically insects
belong in the animal kingdom, so I wonder if insects will be popular with
vegetarians?
If this topic
fascinates you, and you have a spare 16 minutes, watch Marcel Dicke explain [http://www.ted.com/talks/marcel_dicke_why_not_eat_insects
insects in our diet.] He claims that you are already eating 500 grams (18 oz)
of insects ‘by accident’ every year. Love his T-shirt. And the chocolatier at
the end.
References:
1. Rumpold BA, Schlüter
OK. Nutritional composition and safety aspects of edible insects. Molecular
Nutrition & Food Research 2013; 57: 802-823
2. McGrew WC. The ‘other
faunivory’ revisited: Insectivory in human and non-human primates and the
evolution of human diet. Journal of Human Evolution 2014
3. FAO Nutritional Value
of Insects for Human Consumption. This excellent, easy to read, review is here. Read this and you will have a new appreciation for insects as food (and
the photos are great too).
