Comparative ethnoentomology of edible stinkbugs in southern Africa and sustainable management considerations
- PDF / 897,039 Bytes
- 12 Pages / 595.28 x 793.7 pts Page_size
- 21 Downloads / 113 Views
Comparative ethnoentomology of edible stinkbugs in southern Africa and sustainable management considerations Dzerefos et al. Dzerefos et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2013, 9:20 http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/20
Dzerefos et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2013, 9:20 http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/20
RESEARCH
JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE
Open Access
Comparative ethnoentomology of edible stinkbugs in southern Africa and sustainable management considerations Catherine Maria Dzerefos1*, Ed Tadeusz Fernando Witkowski1 and Rob Toms1,2
Abstract: Insects, such as stinkbugs, are able to produce noxious defence chemicals to ward off predators, nevertheless, some ethnic groups have recipes to render them delicious. We provide an example of edible stinkbugs (Encosternum delegorguei) used by two locally separate ethnic groups in South Africa, the Vhavenda and Mapulana, with a third group, the Bolobedu using them for commercial purposes. Structured interview schedules and observations with 106 harvesters were conducted to determine differences in use, nomenclature and oral history, methods of collection and preparation as well as perceptions pertaining to availability. The stinkbugs’ foul defence chemical and flight response necessitates nocturnal harvesting when the insect is immobilised by cold. The defence chemical stains the skin and affects vision yet protective gear is not worn. Damage to host trees was recorded when harvesters poached from plantations or private land, whereas, in communal-lands, sustainable methods were preferred. The legitimisation of stinkbug harvesting and introduction of a collection funnel could reduce conflicts with managers of plantations and private land. Two methods to remove the defence chemical for increased palatability were used. Preparation methods differed in whether or not water was used and also whether the head was left intact or removed. Stinkbugs have numerous medicinal uses, in particular as a hangover cure. Awareness and optimal use of beneficial insects, such as stinkbugs, in rural areas could lead to a reconsideration of current environmental management strategies, where harvesters act as habitat stewards and clearing, grazing or burning indigenous vegetation is kept to a minimum. Keywords: Defence chemical, Edible insects, Entomophagy, Ethnomedicine, Sustainable harvesting, Traditional food
Spanish Abstract Superar el temor a la chiche hedionda e implicaciones para una gestión ambiental sostenible Insectos tales como las chinches hediondas son capaces de producir defensas químicas nocivas para mantener alejados a sus depredadores, a pesar de ello, algunos grupos étnicos han desarrollado recetas para transformarlas en un manjar. Aquí presentamos un ejemplo de chinches comestibles (Encosternum delegorguei) utilizadas por dos grupos éticos geográficamente separados que habitan en Sudáfrica, los Vhavenda y los Mapulana, y de un tercer grupo étnico, los Bolobedu, que utilizan estos insectos con fines comerciales. Se lle
Data Loading...
