Insects: The Ancient Foragers of the World

Introduction: Insects have been here long before human civilization, foraging the world and utilizing its nutrients. In a sense then, every human being ever has been forced to interact with insects, so then why has this “household” item not been utilized as a food source for humans? Well, that’s not entirely true. Entomophagy, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is the practice of eating insects. Using insects as a food source isn’t as uncommon as one may think, the practice of Enotmophagy has been performed for centuries, dating back to Indian tribes and Australian aborginals.

Insects greatly outnumber humans and are found in nearly every possible location in the world, so their presence in and around human food isn’t unbelievable. While this practice is becoming more popular around the world, consumers in the U. S. are still skeptical of the idea Whether its eating them “a la mode”, or eating them without knowing, insects are increasingly prevalent in food consumed by humans.

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Main Body: Insect consumption seems a little farfetched, yet there are several reasons that this idea may not be crazy.

Meat is considered to be one of the best sources of protein in diets, however, certain insects provide amounts of protein comparable to that of meat; thus making insect consumption a much cheaper alternative to meat in developing countries. Take, for example, 100 grams of dried caterpillar, providing fifty-three grams of protein, seventeen percent carbohydrates, and a whopping fifteen percent fat. In fact, they are believed to have a higher proportional fat and protein value than that of beef and fish.

Also, most edible insects are proven to be much cleaner than fish. For example, According to Pulitzer prize winner, Dr. E. O. Wilson of Harvard University, there are an estimated ten quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) insects in the world, or about one hundred and fifty million insects per one human being. Insects are in no way, shape, or form, a product of scarcity; insects are found nearly everywhere, thus proving to be another reason for insects to be used for food consumption.

Due to the fact that insects provide incredible amounts of nutritional value and an incredible population, they are proving to be means of income for people in developing countries. Specifically, Sudan and Nigeria trade and utilize insects as a source of income, exporting three to five tons annually to countries such as Belgium and France. This means of earning income for Sudans and Nigerians produces $41,500 annually.

Insects being utilized for their nutritional value and high concentration, proves to show how incredibly useful insects are to humans, surprisingly as a food source. Many countries all over the world are taking advantage of insects as a food source. In Africa, several groups use Orthoptera as a means of food. They gather locusts early in the day, before they are active; they then boil them before group members clean and salt them.

Noting goes to waste, they even use the legs by grinding them up and mixing them with peanut butter and salt. Also, performed in areas of Africa and Australia, termites are being utilized for their high protein and fat value. The big queen castes of termites, reaching three inches in lenghth, is most sought out due to its incredibly high nutritional value. They are often lightly fried and sold in markets to be eaten by hand, thought to be a snack food. However, termites can also be used as a colorless oil used when frying food.