Globally, over 2 Billion people currently eat insects around the world.  From ants to scorpions, edible insects provide a ready and available source of protein and nutrition.  In fact, a lot of protein and nutrition, and a food source that can be readily gathered if you known what you are looking for.

Although many people may not have fried tarantulas, roasted grasshoppers, or sauteed pupae on the menu there are many companies making a multitude of edible insect products.  Products such as chips, crackers, chocolate, brownies, pasta, and more (you can check some of them out in our Cricket Flours Shop or even on Amazon too). However, for research purposes, finding proof that these same insects were eaten by our ancestors has not been as easy to find as an Amazon search.

However scientists and academics from Heriot Watt-University and Wayne State University (read more on their research by clicking here) found that long awaited evidence in Tanzania.  In a region already known for utilizing foraged insects such as termites, the scientists came across an interesting substrate and material.

After initial testing of the “mud” and running tests on the dental samples of the individuals that resided their, researches found new evidence of what many individuals had previously assumed.  Edible insects may have made up a significant portion of our ancestors diets, up to 50%, and research like this will continue to paint a picture of the lives of those that came before us.