In this Book
- Edible Insects and Human Evolution
- Book
- 2018
- Published by: University Press of Florida
summary
Researchers who study ancient human diets tend to focus on meat eating because the practice of butchery is very apparent in the archaeological record. In this volume, Julie Lesnik highlights a different food source, tracing evidence that humans and their hominin ancestors also consumed insects throughout the entire course of human evolution.
Lesnik combines primatology, sociocultural anthropology, reproductive physiology, and paleoanthropology to examine the role of insects in the diets of hunter-gatherers and our nonhuman primate cousins. She posits that women would likely spend more time foraging for and eating insects than men, arguing that this pattern is important to note because women are too often ignored in reconstructions of ancient human behavior. Because of the abundance of insects and the low risk of acquiring them, insects were a reliable food source that mothers used to feed their families over the past five million years.
Although they are consumed worldwide to this day, insects are not usually considered food in Western societies. Tying together ancient history with our modern lives, Lesnik points out that insects are highly nutritious and a very sustainable protein alternative. She believes that if we accept that edible insects are a part of the human legacy, we may have new conversations about what is good to eat—both in past diets and for the future of food.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- List of Figures
- pp. ix-x
- List of Maps
- pp. xi-xii
- List of Tables
- pp. xiii-xiv
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xvii-xx
- 2. Understanding the Ick Factor
- pp. 18-30
- 7. Edible Insects and the Genus Homo
- pp. 109-122
- References
- pp. 155-176
Additional Information
ISBN
9780813052359
MARC Record
OCLC
1041140255
Pages
208
Launched on MUSE
2018-06-28
Language
English
Open Access
No