In the title of a delightful little book published in 1885, Vincent Holt asks, Why Not Eat Insects? The “why not” is hard to explain logically, nutritionally, or on the basis of the sheer abundance of these creatures. However, for Europeans and North Americans the eating of insects, or entomophagy, is considered a curiosity at best. And for many the idea is downright repulsive. Insects as food are found only in cartoons, or perhaps on the odd occasion when suitably disguised under a layer of chocolate. Yet for these same people, other invertebrate animals, such as oysters, snails, crayfish, and lobsters, are not only accepted as food but even viewed as delicacies.

In many other parts of the world, however, insects are considered good to eat and are appreciated for their taste as well as nutritional value. Some, like the giant queen ants (Atta sp.) of Colombia, are prized as delicacies and supposedly function as aphrodisiacs as well. Others, like the mompani worms of Africa, are frequently included in the diet and much enjoyed. Still others, like the cock chafer grubs of Ireland, although not much esteemed, have been used when more desirable foods were not available.

The purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of the role of insects in the diet in different parts of the world and in different time periods. We first review the use of insects as food within major geographical areas, in the present as well as in the historic and prehistoric past when information is available (a comprehensive list of insect species used as food is provided in Table II.G.15.1). We then summarize general patterns of insect use and provide information on the nutritional value of some commonly consumed insects.