**7.6 Religious view about entomophagy**

Food practices are influenced by culture and religious beliefs. The practice of eating insects is cited throughout religious literature in the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths. The consumption of insects depends on religion and ethnicity. It is a taboo among Muslims [82]. In the sacred books of the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions, there are different fragments related to entomophagy. Entomophagy in ancient times is a noted in the New Testament of the Bible with reference to John the Baptist, who appeared totally depended for his food on locusts and honey. In the Holy Bible use of locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers as food is mentioned as well as crickets and grasshoppers (Leviticus 11:22). In Islamic traditions, evidence of the use of insects as food extends to locusts and bees. In Judaism four species of locusts

*Role of Edible Insects as Food Source to Combat Food Security Challenges – Innovative… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106809*

are recognized as kosher; that is, permitted for use as food [12, 83]. Entomophagy is also present in Jewish literature. Eating certain species of kosher locusts was largely accepted in ancient times.
