Kosher locust facts for kids
A red locust.
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| Halakhic texts relating to this article | |
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| Torah: | Leviticus 11:22 |
| Mishnah: | Hullin 59a |
| Babylonian Talmud: | Hullin 65a-66b and Avodah Zarah 37a |
| Shulchan Aruch: | Yoreh De'ah 85 |
| Other rabbinic codes: | Exodus Rabbah 13:7 |
Kosher locusts are special kinds of locusts that Jewish law allows people to eat. Usually, eating insects is not permitted under kashrut, which is the Jewish dietary law. However, ancient Jewish teachers, called rabbis, identified a few types of locusts that were allowed.
These specific locusts are mentioned in the Torah, which is a holy Jewish text. But over time, it became hard to know exactly which locust species were the "kosher" ones. This is because the names used in the old texts might refer to general looks or colors, which can change.
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Yemenite Traditions for Eating Locusts
In Yemen, Jewish communities had a long-standing tradition of eating certain locusts. They believed the edible locusts had a special mark. This mark looked like the Hebrew letter chet (ח) on the underside of their chest area.
The most common kosher locust in Yemen was the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). These locusts can be yellowish-green, grey, or reddish when they grow up. They are also known for swarming in huge groups. These swarms can quickly destroy crops.
Some people believe the Torah allowed eating these locusts for a reason. If locusts ate all the crops, people would still have something to eat. Eating locusts was often seen as food for the poor, not a fancy meal.
Which Locusts Were Eaten in Yemen?
Even though other edible locusts are mentioned in old texts, like the Chargol and Sal'am, the knowledge of how to identify them was lost in Yemen.
Only certain types of grasshoppers, called Chagav, were still eaten. One example was the greyish or brownish Egyptian locust (Anacridium aegyptium). This was thought to be an edible grasshopper. The Desert locust and the Migratory locust were also eaten.
In 1911, a chief rabbi from Ottoman Palestine, Abraham Isaac Kook, asked the rabbis in Sana'a, Yemen, about their custom. He wanted to know if they identified kosher locusts by their looks or by a continuous tradition.
The Yemenite rabbis replied that they ate locusts based on what their ancestors had taught them. They knew three types of clean grasshoppers, all called ğarād (locusts) in Arabic. They would not eat other types, even if they looked similar, because they had no tradition for them.
The Jews of Yemen did not just rely on the features of the locusts. They only ate the ones their tradition confirmed were edible. The main one was the desert locust, which they called ğarād.
How Were Locusts Prepared?
People used different ways to prepare locusts before eating them.
- One way was to put them into boiling salt water. After cooking, they were dried in a hot oven or in the sun. Once dry, people would break off the heads, wings, and legs. They would then eat the main body (thorax and abdomen).
- Another method was to roast them. They would heat an earthenware stove and throw the live locusts inside. After roasting, they would sprinkle salt water on them. Then, they would spread them out in the sun to dry, often on rooftops. Some people thought roasted locusts were a special treat.
Djerba's Rule Against Eating Locusts
In the Jewish community of Djerba, Tunisia, eating locusts was later forbidden. This rule was made by Rabbi Aharon Perez in the mid-18th century. At that time, eating locusts was still common in Tunisia.
Rabbi Aharon himself used to eat locusts. But after reading a book by Rabbi Hayyim ben Atar, he decided to stop. He wanted to ban the practice in Djerba. However, the city of Tunis had a higher rabbinical authority, and they still allowed it. So, he kept his decision private at first.
Later, when the practice was finally forbidden in Tunis, Rabbi Aharon encouraged banning it in Djerba as well.
Current Jewish Law on Kosher Locusts
Jewish law, called Halakha, says that you can only eat an animal if there is a "continuous tradition" that it is kosher. It's not enough for the animal to just seem to fit the rules in the Torah.
For kosher locusts, a "continuous tradition" exists for three species:
- The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
- The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria)
- The Egyptian grasshopper (Anacridium aegyptium)
This means you don't need a personal family tradition. If you visit a place where people have this tradition, you can also eat them. The Yemenite Jews are one group who had such a continuous tradition.
It is important to remember that the common names for locusts in the Bible often refer to their color or general shape. These features can vary based on the season, what the locusts eat, and the climate. This makes it very hard to know for sure which exact species the Bible was talking about.
Because of this uncertainty, many Jewish authorities later decided to forbid all species of locusts. They felt it was too difficult to avoid mistakes.
Locusts as Food for the Poor
The author of the Aruch HaShulchan, an important Jewish law book, noted that locusts were not considered a fancy food. Instead, they were often eaten by people who were poor.
An ancient Jewish story, called a midrash, describes how locusts were sometimes preserved:
Once the locusts came, the Egyptians rejoiced and said 'Let us gather them and fill our barrels with them.' The Holy One, Blessed be He, said, 'Wicked people, with the plague that I have brought against you, are you going to rejoice?!' Immediately God brought upon them a western wind ... and none were left. What does it mean that none were left? Even those that were pickled with salt and sitting in their pots and barrels were blown away....
In Morocco, people also ate locusts into the 1900s. Only those who had a clear tradition of eating them and knew the signs of kosher locusts would do so.
Eating Kosher Locusts Today
Even with the questions about which locusts are truly kosher, some people today still consider certain species to be allowed. You can even buy them in Israel for eating.
