What is it about?
It investigates reasons why people, genders, age-groups, etc do NOT all eat the same food stuffs, given that we ALL need the same basic components: protein/amino acids; lipids/fatty acids; minerals; vitamins; water. There are numerous reasons for food taboos and these are explored in this frequently cited paper.
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Why is it important?
Food taboos can save lives, but some, when applied to pregnant or lactating women, often have the opposite effect. Certain foods and drinks should be taboo for children as they can harm the latter, and to understand the history and objective of any food taboo helps a society to plan its future.
Perspectives
This is an easy-to-follow article that gives a short but comprehensive overview of the importance of food taboos by focusing on 5 selected examples: Papua New Guinea Onabasulu and Kiriwina (Trobriand Islanders), Brahmin Hindus, Orthodox Jews, Malaysian Orang Asli, and Nigeria.
V. B. MEYER-ROCHOW
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Food taboos: their origins and purposes, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, June 2009, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1186/1746-4269-5-18.
You can read the full text:
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