Food as Culture

Since this week we will be focusing on understanding culture, I wanted to share an article about how culture often defines what we consider 'food.' Cuisine, which includes food and all the cultural components that contribute to the 'ritual' of eating, is a really great way to experience and begin to understand cultures that differ from our own.

For Most People, Eating Insects is Only Natural

Yes, insects! In many parts of the world, insects are commonly consumed and considered an important protein source. Even Europeans have a long history of insectivory, as the article states:

"Eating insects certainly is an old tradition," he said.

The ancient Romans and Greeks dined on insects. Pliny, the first-century Roman scholar and author of Historia Naturalis, wrote that Roman aristocrats loved to eat beetle larvae reared on flour and wine.

Aristotle, the fourth-century Greek philosopher and scientist, described in his writings the ideal time to harvest cicadas: "The larva of the cicada on attaining full size in the ground becomes a nymph; then it tastes best, before the husk is broken. At first the males are better to eat, but after copulation the females, which are then full of white eggs."

The Old Testament encouraged Christians and Jews to consume locusts, beetles, and grasshoppers. St. John the Baptist is said to have survived on locusts and honey when he lived in the desert.

Still hesitant? Well, I hate to break it to you, but you may have already eaten some bugs.