A review of progressing terminology ‘entomophagy’

Abstract

In academics, the food and agricultural sectors, governmental organizations, and the general public, there is increasing interest in insects as a source of human nutrition. The terms and ideas employed to describe these creatures and the human activities that surround them are, however, elementary in comparison to the variety of these organisms themselves, and to the current complexity and fast development of the practices that they are intended to describe. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) demonstrate how the roots of the term ‘entomophagy’ and its uses have evolved over time; (2) illustrate some of the problems associated with the term that necessitate its review; and (3) make recommendations for the term's use in future research and other practice. A brief historical review of insect eating as described by certain Western cultural sources is presented, followed by an examination of some of the taxonomic ambiguities and challenges associated with the term ‘insects,’ and finally an argument for more precise and contextual terminology in this both richly traditional and rapidly developing field.