Kosher locust

Source in the Torah

The Torah states in Shemini (Leviticus 11:21-22), the 26th weekly biblical lection (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading:

Yet these may you eat of every winged swarming thing that goes upon four, which have legs above their feet to leap with upon the earth. These of them you may eat: the locust (arbeh) after its kind, and the salʿam after its kind, and the ḥargol after its kind, and the ḥagav after its kind. –Leviticus 11:21-22

Yemenite tradition

According to Yemenite tradition, the edible locust referred to in the Torah is identified by the figure resembling the Hebrew character chet ( ח) on the underside of the thorax. The most common of these in Yemen was the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), and whose color ranged from yellowish-green to grey, to reddish in colour when it reached full-adulthood (Hebrew: ארבה‎, Arbeh; Aramaic: גובאי‎‎, Gobai; Arabic: الجراد‎‎, Al-Jaraad). What made matters worse for identification purposes was that, in Yemen, the locust and the grasshopper were given the same Arabic name (Jaraad = locust), although Jews in Yemen recognized the differences between the two genera.

In spite of the reference of other edible locusts in the Pentateuch, such as the Chargol (Aramaic: ניפול‎‎, Nippul; Arabic: الحرجوان‎‎, Al-Harjawaan), and the Sal'am (Aramaic: רשון‎‎, Rashona; Arabic: الدبا‎, translit. Al-Daba‎), the tradition of recognizing and eating these specific kinds had been lost in Yemen, prior to their emigration from Yemen in the mid-20th century CE. Only certain species of the Chagav (grasshopper) were still eaten in Yemen, such as the species now known as the greyish or brownish Egyptian locust (Anacridium aegyptium), thought by some to be an edible grasshopper, even though it was known in Arabic by its generic name al-Jaraad (Arabic: الجراد‎‎).

In 1911, Abraham Isaac Kook, the chief rabbi of Ottoman Palestine, addressed a question to the rabbinic Court at Sana'a concerning their custom of eating grasshoppers, and whether this custom was observed by observing their outward features, or by simply relying upon an oral tradition. The reply given to him by the court was as follows: "The grasshoppers which are eaten by way of a tradition from our forefathers, which happen to be clean, are well-known unto us. But there are yet other species which have all the recognizable features of being clean, yet do we practice abstaining from them. [Appendage]: The clean grasshoppers (Hebrew: חגבים‎) about which we have a tradition are actually three species having each one different coloration [from the other], and each of them are called by us in the Arabian tongue, jarād (locusts). But there are yet other species, about which we have no tradition, and we will not eat them. One of which is a little larger in size than the grasshoppers, having the name of `awsham. There is yet another variety, smaller in size than the grasshopper, and it is called ḥanājir (katydids)."

Manner of preparation

Several methods were applied in the preparation of locusts, prior to eating them. One of the more popular ways was to take the locusts after gathering them and to throw them into a pot of boiling salt water. After cooking for a few minutes, they were then removed from the pot and placed within a heated oven in order to dry them, or else spread out in the sun to dry. Once dry, they would take up the locusts and break off their heads, wings and legs and discard them, eating only the thorax and abdomen. Another method was to stoke an earthenware stove and, when fully heated, to cast them while alive into the cavity of the stove. Once roasted, they were taken out and a brine solution was sprinkled over them, before spreading them out in the sun to dry, usually upon one’s rooftop.

Djerba tradition

In the Jewish community of Djerba, Tunisia, the consumption of locusts was forbidden by a takkanah of rabbi Aron Perez mid-18th century. The implication therefore is that they were regularly consumed in that community at that time.

Normative practice

The Halakha regarding locusts, and all kosher animals for that matter, is that one is allowed to eat a specific type of animal only if there is a "continuous tradition" that affirms that it is kosher. It is not enough that the locust seems to conform to the criteria mentioned in the Torah. This does not mean that one must possess a 'personal tradition' in order to eat locusts. If one travels to a place where the people do have a tradition, the new arrival would also be allowed to eat them. The Yemenite Jews and some others had such a continuous tradition.

It is also worth pointing out that the common names used in the Bible refer only to color and broad morphological generalities shared by many Middle Eastern species. Also, although it is often useful for identification, the geographic location of these locusts in the text is unclear. Using primarily color to identify insect species is a notoriously unreliable approach. Insects that come to adulthood will have slightly different colors based on season, diet, and prevailing climate. Which species of locust are actually being referred to in the text is therefore nearly impossible to ascertain. This will further complicate adherence.

British Chief Rabbi Joseph Hertz says in his commentary on Leviticus 11:22

"None of the four kinds of locust mentioned is certainly known (RV Margin). For this reason also, later Jewish authorities, realizing that it is impossible to avoid errors being made declare every species of locust to be forbidden."

Jews who live in consonance with ritual laws normally consult a rabbi when questions on ritual practices arise.

How and by whom Kosher locusts were eaten

The author of the Aruch HaShulchan points out that locusts were not considered a delicacy—rather they were food for the poor.

The Midrash in Shemot Rabba hints that one way to eat locusts was to pickle them:

"Once the locusts came, the Egyptians rejoiced and said 'Let us gather them and fill our barrels with them.' Hakadosh Baruch Hu (a name of God, literally meaning: "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...."