Leviticus

Spur-throated Grasshopper, originally uploaded by OakleyOriginals.

Leviticus 11 is a chapter of Hebrew law dealing with what is and is not permissible to eat as meat. God prohibits eating of pigs, shellfish, birds of prey, lizards, etc. These animals do not fit the cleanness requirements of God's law, and so Israel is not to consume them. Insects are on the list too (vs. 20):

"All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you."

Putting aside for a moment the anatomical inaccuracy of saying that insects "walk on all fours" (who really says "walks on all sixes" anyway?), the message is clear: don't eat bugs. But then there's an exception (vs. 21-23):

"There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. But all other winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest."

The Orthoptera are on the menu! The order Orthoptera includes grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and katydids. Leviticus gives us the easiest sight ID characteristic for this order: jumping legs. If you want to be fancy you can call them "saltatorial" legs. Check out this handsome fellow in the photo above. Nice saltatorial legs, eh?

So, why are Orthopterans invited to dinner, but nobody else from Insecta? This is a difficult question. Some say that they are hygienic, less likely to carry parasites than other insects. They are good, meaty insects too, nutritious. Some say that they aren't as close to the ground because they hop, and so they are cleaner. Others say that they are clean because they are exclusively herbivorous. Others remember that locusts are a major agricultural pest problem in the near east, and in some years the locust swarms would blot out the sun and consume every fruit, leaf, and stick in their path, leaving only the locusts themselves to be consumed by the devastated farmers.

Personally, I like thinking of the Orthoptera as the skilled musicians of the insect world. A vast majority of the Orthoptera chirp, sing, drum, or rattle to call their mates. Few other insects make such pleasing music. Perhaps the singers are invited to dinner to remind the Israelites about their role as praisers of God, commanded to make a joyful noise to him who gives life to all the creatures that swarm on the ground.