|
Entomophagy (, from Greek ἔντομον ''éntomon'', "insect", and φᾰγεῖν ''phagein'', "to eat") is the human consumption of insects as food: human insectivory. The eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults of certain insect species have been eaten by man since prehistoric times and continue to be an item of the human nutrition in contemporary times.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Entomophagy (Eating insects) )〕 Human insect-eating is common to cultures in most parts of the world, including North, Central, and South America; and Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Over 1,000 species of insects are known to be eaten in 80% of the world's nations.〔Damian Carrington. "(Insects could be the key to meeting food needs of growing global population )", ''The Guardian'' 1 August 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2011.〕 The total number of ethnic groups recorded to practice entomophagy is around 3,000. However, in some societies insect-eating is uncommon or even taboo. Today insect eating is rare in the developed world, but insects remain a popular food in many developing regions of Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. There are some companies that are trying to introduce insects into Western diets. ==Definition== Entomophagy is sometimes defined broadly to include the practice of eating arthropods that are not insects, such as arachnids (tarantulas mainly) and myriapods (centipedes mainly).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Insects Are Food )〕 The term is not used for the consumption of other arthropods, specifically crustaceans like crabs, lobsters and shrimp. Insects are eaten by many animals, but the term is generally used to refer to human consumption of insects; animals that eat insects are known as insectivores. There are also some species of carnivorous plants that derive nutrients from insects. Some of the more popular insects and arachnids eaten around the world include crickets, cicadas, grasshoppers, ants, various beetle grubs (such as mealworms), the larvae of the darkling beetle or rhinoceros beetle,〔''Global Steak - Demain nos enfants mangeront des criquets'' (2010 French documentary)〕 various species of caterpillar (such as bamboo worms, mopani worms, silkworms and waxworms), scorpions and tarantulas. There are over 1,900 known species of arthropods, including arachnids, that are edible to humans.〔Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations http://www.fao.org/forestry/edibleinsects/84627/en/〕 Recent assessments of the potential of large-scale entomophagy have led some experts to suggest entomophagy as a potential alternative protein source to animal livestock, citing possible benefits including greater efficiency, lower resource use, increased food security, and environmental and economic sustainability.〔〔〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「entomophagy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|