A new research from Professor Lisa-Marie Shillito in our Archaeology Department is highlighting how insects have been part of human diets for thousands of years despite seeming unusual to many people.
The study explores how evidence of insect consumption could help reshape attitudes towards alternative protein sources.
Eating insects for thousands of years
Evidence from archaeological sites across the world shows that insects have long provided an important source of food.
Researchers have identified insect remains in ancient preserved human waste, traces on cooking equipment and tools, and evidence of insect harvesting and storage.
In the United States, for example, archaeological discoveries reveal that people ate grasshoppers, beetles and other insects thousands of years ago.
Evidence from Australia also shows that moths were cooked and ground into food around 2,000 years ago.
Today, insects remain part of traditional diets in many parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, including grasshoppers in Uganda and Mexico.
Changing food habits
The research suggests that insects have been overlooked in some accounts of ancient diets, partly because their remains do not always survive as well as animal bones and pottery.
Cultural attitudes have also influenced which foods are considered acceptable. In Western societies, insects are often associated with disgust, despite evidence of their long history as food.
Professor Shillito argues that understanding these changing attitudes could help people reconsider insects as foods with cultural and historical significance, rather than simply an unfamiliar alternative.
More sustainable future
Insect farming can require less land and produce lower greenhouse gas emissions per unit of edible protein than many conventional livestock systems, although the benefits depend on how insects are raised.
The research highlights how archaeology can contribute to conversations about sustainable diets by revealing the diversity of foods people have relied on throughout history.
By recognising insects as part of humanity's food heritage, researchers hope to encourage a broader understanding of alternative proteins and their potential role in building more resilient food systems.
