Worms: Good Tasting, Good For You
By Trina Wood,
Discovery.com News
Nov. 9, 2000 Subterranean termites, giant ants and crop-destroying hornworms — invertebrates that Westerners often attempt to eradicate with pesticides — provide Amazonian Amerindians with valuable food resources, say researchers in this week's Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.
By using these and other species of invertebrates as food, at least 32 Amerindian groups in the Amazon basin not only have readily available meals, but gain protein, fat and vitamins not found in their mainstay crop of cassava.
Because these invertebrates feed off leaf and litter found on the floor of the rainforest, they have a high concentration of protein and minerals. They are also readily available and don't require the amount of time and energy to gather that is involved in fishing or hunting.
"The strategy of adopting invertebrates linked to leaves and litter as food fascinated me because most of our food comes from animals living on annual grasses or grains," said Maurizio Paoletti, a researcher in the department of biology at Padova University in Italy. "Amerindians have found a way to use their very rich biodiversity — I believe that we have to learn more from them."
Different Amerindian groups have various recipes. For example, the Makiritare prepare large edible earthworms known as "motto" and "kuru" by smoking them overnight and later using the meat in soups or seasoned with pepper and eaten with cassava. The larger "kuru" earthworms weigh up to 250 grams each and provide a meal for two people, Paoletti says.
The Tukanoans collect ants from the genus Atta, the largest in the Neotropics, to eat raw or roast. Large amounts of Atta ants can be roasted and then ground into flour.
"Insects and worms are extremely valuable food sources that Western populations frown on, but these invertebrates are important sources of protein and essential fatty acids and minerals for the people that use them," said Robert Glew, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of New Mexico.
Numerous studies by anthropologists, ecologists and entomologists as well as literature reviews contributed data for use in the current report. Paoletti said the combined results are far from exhaustive, but do provide an idea of what is collected and eaten in the Amazon basin and rim areas.
"Just to give one example of our lack of knowledge on Amazonian biodiversity, the Yanomamo gave us 25 ethnic names of different caterpillars they eat," Paoletti said. "Only for one of those species do we have the scientific name!"
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"I will gather myself around my faith, for light does the darkness most fear." - Jewel
By Trina Wood,
Discovery.com News
Nov. 9, 2000 Subterranean termites, giant ants and crop-destroying hornworms — invertebrates that Westerners often attempt to eradicate with pesticides — provide Amazonian Amerindians with valuable food resources, say researchers in this week's Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.
By using these and other species of invertebrates as food, at least 32 Amerindian groups in the Amazon basin not only have readily available meals, but gain protein, fat and vitamins not found in their mainstay crop of cassava.
Because these invertebrates feed off leaf and litter found on the floor of the rainforest, they have a high concentration of protein and minerals. They are also readily available and don't require the amount of time and energy to gather that is involved in fishing or hunting.
"The strategy of adopting invertebrates linked to leaves and litter as food fascinated me because most of our food comes from animals living on annual grasses or grains," said Maurizio Paoletti, a researcher in the department of biology at Padova University in Italy. "Amerindians have found a way to use their very rich biodiversity — I believe that we have to learn more from them."
Different Amerindian groups have various recipes. For example, the Makiritare prepare large edible earthworms known as "motto" and "kuru" by smoking them overnight and later using the meat in soups or seasoned with pepper and eaten with cassava. The larger "kuru" earthworms weigh up to 250 grams each and provide a meal for two people, Paoletti says.
The Tukanoans collect ants from the genus Atta, the largest in the Neotropics, to eat raw or roast. Large amounts of Atta ants can be roasted and then ground into flour.
"Insects and worms are extremely valuable food sources that Western populations frown on, but these invertebrates are important sources of protein and essential fatty acids and minerals for the people that use them," said Robert Glew, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of New Mexico.
Numerous studies by anthropologists, ecologists and entomologists as well as literature reviews contributed data for use in the current report. Paoletti said the combined results are far from exhaustive, but do provide an idea of what is collected and eaten in the Amazon basin and rim areas.
"Just to give one example of our lack of knowledge on Amazonian biodiversity, the Yanomamo gave us 25 ethnic names of different caterpillars they eat," Paoletti said. "Only for one of those species do we have the scientific name!"
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"I will gather myself around my faith, for light does the darkness most fear." - Jewel
