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The world's most abundant creatures are the insects, whose known species
outnumber all the other animals and the plants combined. Insects have been
so successful in their fight for life that they are sometimes described as
the human race's closest rivals for domination of the Earth. Entomologists,
the scientists who study insects, have named almost 1,000,000
species--perhaps less than one third of the total number.
In many underdeveloped areas of the world grasshoppers, caterpillars, and
other insects are necessary to humans as food. Insects are also important
to humans as food for other animals. Freshwater fishes depend upon insects
for food. Hundreds of species of birds would perish if there were no
insects to eat.
From Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
Think you've never eaten a bug? Experts say we eat them all the time
unintentionally. But did you know that as much as 80 percent of the human
population are actually connoisseurs of insect food? Early Native Americans
had a fondness for grasshoppers, insects that have been eaten in Africa
since biblical times.
Many people in Southeast Asia consume giant waterbugs. These bugs, called
"mangda" in Thai, are eaten directly or as a paste condiment in which to
dip vegetables.
Want a new way to rid your home of termites? Eat 'em. They do in central
Africa.
So have you worked up an appetite? Here are some simple insect recipes
we've found. Let us know how they taste. And if you know of any new
insect recipes you want your fellow netsurfers to try, e-mail them to:
RecipeGirl@usHOTstuff.com and we'll post them here.
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