Historical account of entomophagy among the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh: Current status and future trends

This review focuses on tracing the history of entomophagy practice since the time of ancient archaic humans and the development of this practice that persisted until today among ethnic communities, with particular reference to the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Insects as food is a trending research topic due to their potential as a future sustainable food. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the tribal population of Arunachal Pradesh was largely isolated, though the practice of eating insects prevailed among the majority of its tribal groups. Only in recent times has the need for alternative food resources, due to the impact of globalization, climatic crisis, and resource depletion worldwide, pushed for scientific exploration, which is gaining momentum. The history of anthropo-entomophagy and its sociocultural significance is explored in this study. The present paper also describes the ongoing scientific exploration toward the value of edible insects as neutraceutical, entomoceutical, and pest control tools historically being used by Apatanese and the prospect of these edible insects for the tribe in the future.