It seems that our ancestors ate insects rather than grains. Insects appeared in the Devonian period, 360 to 410 million years ago. They reached their peak in the Jurassic period, 140 to 210 million years ago, several hundred million years after their appearance. But as they prospered, their enemies appeared. Insects were chased by dinosaurs that appeared in the Jurassic period and were forced to become nocturnal. Nocturnal primitive mammals were also running away and hiding from dinosaurs. Insects became a food source for nocturnal primitive mammals. It is said that humans were born 5 million years ago. Our ancestors, who lived a meager life in the forest, survived by eating insects. Humans evolved physical characteristics that helped them catch insects in the trees. Eating insects gave humans the foundation for dexterity, differentiation of hands and feet, and brain development. Humans have been collecting insects, and “eating insects” has been a natural behavior since ancient times.
One of the features of insect archaeology research in the United States is the study of insects excavated from coprolites. Undigested ants and termites were found in a coprolite discovered in the shade of a rock in Oregon. This termite coprolite dates back 9,500 years. The remains of cicadas and grasshoppers were also found in the coprolites of the Anasazi people at the Mesa Verde ruins. The Anasazi were an agricultural people who lived in a wide area of the southwestern United States from the 7th to 18th centuries and cultivated corn and other crops. There was a time when the number of grasshoppers increased in this area. They began to eat grasshoppers a lot. Then something interesting happened. The number of grasshoppers and turkey bones also increased in the coprolites. It seems that domesticated turkeys were bred to prevent damage from grasshoppers swarming in fields. It was discovered that the Anasazi got their protein from grasshoppers and turkeys.
Humans eat over 1,600 species of insects. The reason why insect eating is attracting attention again is because of the “protein crisis.” When there is a crisis, humans prepare for it. A cricket farm was established in Youngstown, Ohio, USA in 2014. Since then, edible crickets and fly (larvae) have been farmed in various places in Europe and the United States. Eating insects is gradually becoming more common in households, with bread containing cricket flour gaining popularity in Europe.
