FOOD. The food of man is derived entirely from the vegetable and animal kingdoms.
Of animals used for F. by man the catalogue is very large. Savages, impelled by hunger, and unrestrained by any of those opposing considerations which are always powerful with civilized man, eagerly devour almost every animal on which they can lay their hands, vertebrate or invertebrate, and whether in a fresh state or far gone in putrefaction.
There is no vertebrate animal of which the flesh is known to be poisonous or posi tively unwholesome, except some species of fish, chiefly found in tropical seas. Of ver tebrate animals, every class—mammals, birds, reptiles, and fishes—affords common and much esteemed articles of food. Of mammals, those principally used for this purpose are the herbivorous quadrupeds. and most of all the ruminants, of sonic of which the milk also is much employed. The flesh of some of the pachyderms is also used, par ticularly that of the hog; and that of some of the rodents; as the hare, rabbit, capybara, etc.—although the idea of eating others of the rodents, as mice and rats, would be rejected with disgust by all except savages. The flesh of monkeys is eaten in sonic parts of the world, although a strong aversion to it is more generally entertained, at least by civilized nations, probably on the ground of the animal's resemblance to the human form; for travelers who have been compelled to eat monkey-flesh, declare it to be very good. The flesh of whales and other ordinary cetacea is scarcely used except by rude tribes; although that of porpoises was formerly in great request in England, especially during Lent, the porpoise passing for a fish. The flesh of the herbivorous cetacea. as the manati and dugong of tropical seas, is esteemed. The flesh of some of the herbivorous marsupial quadrupeds, as the kangaroo, is eaten; but that of the car nivorous marsupials and of carnivorous quadrupeds generally is rejected.—LThe same general remark applies to birds: the flesh of birds of prey is rank, coarse, and unfit for human F.; but that of almost all birds which feed on leaves, seeds, and other vegetable substances, or on insects, worms, mollusks, etc., is good for eating. Web-footed birds,
particularly the anatida, and gallinaceons birds (including pigeons), are more extensively used than any others; but birds of other orders are also eaten; and some of the small insessores, as ortolans, bee-fins, larks, etc., are brought to market as delicacies.—Of rep tiles, one order—that of ophidian reptiles, or serpents—affords F. only to savages; but some of the chelonian reptiles—turtles—are in high esteem; the batrachian order con tains the frogs, which find a place on the most luxurious tables in some countries of Europe; and to the saurian order, or lizard-like reptiles, belong species—as the iguanas of South America, creatures of sufficiently uncouth appearance—which, however dis gusting to British readers in general may be the thought of eating them, many of their countrymen have learned to esteem as a delicacy. The eggs of turtles and iguanas are also used for F., as well as those of many kinds of birds. Of mammals, birds, and reptiles, the parts chiefly used for F. are the muscles or flesh, and the fat; but other parts of some animals are also used, as the kidneys, the lungs, the livers, the stomachs of ruminants (tripe). the gizzards of birds, etc.—Very many kinds of fishes are excellent for F., both of cartilaginous and bony fishes; and they belong to many different families.
Of invertebrate animals, some of the mollusks are very generally used. It is unne cessary to do more than name oysters, mussels, and the snails of Italy as examples., Comparatively few mollusks, however, form articles of human food. The same remark applies to crustaceans, although crabs, lobsters, (fray-fish, prawns, and shrimps are well known exceptions. It may almost be said that no articulated animals of any other class are used for F. except by savages; the occasional use of locusts and of the larvm of some coleopterous insects (gru-gru worms, etc.), scarcely requiring a qualification of the state ment. And of the radiated animals, the same general statement may be made; the or which, however, the use is almost confined to the Chinese leCtig the only considerable exception.