Thanks to the many people who responded, some
off-list. Here's a summary so far, of a very interesting topic.
David Inouye
My original message cited pea crabs, parasitic on
oysters and mussels, (apparently a favorite of George Washington):
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/880556
http://www.sms.si.edu/IRLFieldGuide/Pinnot_ostreu.htm
and the corn smut huitlachoche.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/27/huitlacoche-corn-smut-goo_n_553422.html
The lobster mushroom, Hypomyces spp., would be
another one. It's an ascomycete parasitizing
basidiomycetes of the Russula genus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypomyces_lactifluorum
Lobster mushrooms (Hypomyces lactifluorum) are
fungi which parasitize other fungi, typically
gilled mushrooms, and they're sometimes
considered a delicacy by mushroomers. I
happen to consider this an absolutely bone-stupid
thing to do, because the Hypomyces usually
smothers the host mushroom and makes
identification impossible--which means anyone who
eats one is potentially eating Hypomyces and
something deadly underneath. But there are
'shroomers who love their lobsters.
Lamprey has long been considered a delicacy
enjoyed by royalty. See
http://www.godecookery.com/nboke/nboke68.html for
an old recipe. Lamprey pie is still enjoyed in the UK.
King Henry I reportedly died of overindulgence in
lamprey. Also see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprey On 4 March
1953,
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II_of_the_United_Kingdom>Queen
Elizabeth II's coronation pie was made by the
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force>Royal
Air Force using lampreys. June 2012 - Queen
Elizabeth, celebrated the diamond jubilee of her
ascent to the throne, which marked the 60th
anniversary of her coronation, was sent a lamprey pie.
I'll admit that I first learned of eating
lampreys while reading the "Game of Thrones" series....
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PieHistory/LampreyPie.htm
Also a Finnish delicacy:
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/eat-and-drink/3940-delicious-lamprey-s-looks-are-deceptive.html
Guthrie, R. D. 2005. The Nature of Paleolithic
Art. University of Chicago Press.
http://books.google.com/books?id=3u6JNwMyMCEC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=inuit+eat+warble+fly+larvae&source=bl&ots=JNvVRqWlUt&sig=LcoqBPY9Sku4XZb7z86tl6R2gPQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Z8FiU_rNAtGHogT3iYDICQ&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=inuit%20eat%20warble%20fly%20larvae&f=false
"There are thousands of images that can give us a
more rounded view of Paleolithic people and their
times, images that are not customarily shown in
coffee table volumes. Take, for example, these
little wormlike creatures from Paleolithic
art. Eskimo from northern Alaska delight in
eating the large spring maggots, or larvae, of
the reindeer warble fly, Oedemagena tarandi. I
suspect Eurasian people did the same in the
Paleolithic. This is one of the few insects eaten
by northern people. When reindeer are killed,
the hide is skinned back and the warbles are
exposed on the underside. They are fat and
salty, a spring treat: I have tried them several
times. During this time of year many people in
the villages have sore throats from the raspers on the maggots' sides."
Liver flukes, copepods parasitic on fish,
tapeworms and others are mentioned in this
address from a President of the American Society of Parasitologists:
Overstreet, R. M. (2003). "Flavor buds and other
delights." Journal of Parasitology 89(6): 1093-1107.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1305&context=parasitologyfacpubs
["flavor buds" = reindeer warble fly larvae]
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26639--,00.html
has a photo of the "little liver" that is a deer
liver fluke, mentioned in that paper.
This one is used in Chinese medicine:
Ophiocordyceps sinensis
<http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/08/tibetan-mushroom/finkel-text>http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/08/tibetan-mushroom/finkel-text
In my mycology class, I mentioned examples of
parasitic fungi as food and medicine, such as
succulent stem of Zizania latifolia infected by
Yenia esculenta (Ustilago esculenta);
necrotrophic parasites of insect adults, larvae
or pupae by caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps
sinensis), certainly including huitlacoche
infected by corn smut fungus (Ustilago maydis) as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ustilago_esculenta
Medicinal use of dodder:
https://sites.google.com/site/medicinalplantshealing/list-of-plants/dodder
It depends on whether you view plant fungal
endophytes as parasites or mutualists - they can
be both. I don't know specifically about the
endophyte load in crop plants, but if it is like
others then we eat them all the time!
Also, tape worms (Burtiella flanneryi) from the coppery ringtail are eaten..
http://books.google.com/books?id=mfYofzsIzlAC&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq=%22edible+parasites%22&source=bl&ots=7scvWxQfJQ&sig=Gguk_0C3Yz3_kz1MsX6yHkuEW1s&hl=en&sa=X&ei=jnZiU8WBLI6dyATZ2IGQDA&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22edible%20parasites%22&f=false
I would consider oyster mushrooms parasitic when
they are growing on live treesÂ….
From an entomologist: But I have a broader
definition of parasites than you are probably
using. Aphids are classic plant parasites -
smaller than their host, feed on <1 host in their
lifespan, have chronic but typically non-fatal
effects on hosts.... etc. Many insect herbivores
and plant parasites and some are clearly food in other cultures.
Freshwater mussels (Unionoida) parasitic on fish
as larvae (glochidia), are eaten in some parts of
the world once they're free-living filter feeding
adults. They have not commonly been used as food
in North America because they're not especially
palatable, because many are threatened species,
and often live in polluted streams, rivers, and
lakes. I have heard of them being harvested for
food and even sold in markets in China, just watch out for pearls.
