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New research from Durham University highlights how insects have been part of human diets for thousands of years despite seeming unusual to many people.
Published in the journal World Archaeology, the study by Professor Lisa-Marie Shillito from Durham University's Department of Archaeology, explores how evidence of insect consumption in the past could help change the way we think about food and sustainable diets today.
As the world looks for more sustainable ways to produce food, the research suggests that archaeology can offer valuable insights into the long history of eating insects and their potential role as an alternative source of protein.
Evidence from archaeological sites around the world shows that people have eaten insects for thousands of years.
Researchers have found traces in ancient human waste, on tools and cooking equipment, and in evidence of insect harvesting and storage.
In North America, archaeological discoveries show that people ate grasshoppers, beetles and other insects in the past.
Evidence from Australia also suggests that moths were cooked and ground into food around 2,000 years ago.
Insects remain an important part of traditional diets in many parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Grasshoppers, for example, are eaten in countries including Uganda and Mexico.
However, attitudes towards insects as food differ between cultures and have changed over time. In many Western societies, insects are often viewed with disgust, despite their long history as a food source.
Author of the study, Professor Lisa-Marie Shillito from Durham University, said: "We often hear about edible insects as a food of the future, but for many people they are already part of a long culinary heritage.
"I wanted to show how archaeology can challenge our assumptions about what counts as food—including our own assumptions as archaeologists. If we don't think of insects as food, we can overlook evidence that people ate them. Recognising that history can help us think differently about what we might eat in the future."
Insects can also offer environmental benefits compared with many conventional livestock systems. Depending on the species and how they are raised, insect farming can use less land and produce lower greenhouse gas emissions per unit of edible protein.
The research argues that recognising insects as part of our food heritage could help people think differently about alternative proteins.
Rather than viewing insects only as an unfamiliar new food, we can understand them as part of a long history of human food choices.
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 diverse and resilient food systems.
