They flock to the United States by the trillions and are known for causing a nuisance.
But one way Americans have coped with the “apocalyptic” influx of cicadas is by eating them.
The tiny insects, which start out brown but darken as they grow, are low in fat, high in protein and have a “nutty” taste, according to those who have been brave enough to try them.
Restaurants and home cooks alike use these noisy insects in dishes such as stir-fries and salads, or simply wrap them in bacon or stir-fry them with spices for a delicious snack.
Bill Broadbent, president of Entense, a Maine edible insect company, said cicadas are “high protein” and comparable to beef in terms of nutritional value.
“They contain healthy fats, are low in calories and carbohydrates, and are a good source of antioxidants,” Broadbent told MailOnline.
“Insect protein is real animal protein and contains all essential amino acids.”
In New Orleans, Bug Appetit, a restaurant located in the city’s Audubon Insectarium, prepares dishes such as cicada salad and roasted cicadas.
Zach Lehmann, curator of animal collections at the Insectarium, is working to research the source of the insects and has legal permission to offer wild-caught cicadas.
“Every culture has things that they like to eat, but there are also things that are probably taboo or that people wrinkle their noses and frown at,” Lehmann said.
“And there’s no reason to do that with insects when you consider the nutritional value, the quality of the insects on your plate, the taste, and the environmental benefits of harvesting insects instead of handling livestock.”
El Rey in Philadelphia also chops cicadas for salsa and mixes them into potato soup to add a nutty flavor, and Chicago’s Bar Sotano also plans to add cicadas to its menu.
But professional chefs aren’t the only ones using these bugs in their cooking.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, a South Carolina couple recently hosted a semi-dinner party where they wrapped semis in bacon, fried them with Cajun spices and made them into pralines.
Jim Warner, food program director in the department of nutrition at The Ohio State University Medical Center, said home cooks should collect cicadas in wooded areas away from their homes.
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“Stay away from well-maintained yards due to the possibility of lawn chemicals and other contaminants that the cicadas may have absorbed,” he said in a blog post.
“Watch them climb the tree and start shedding their outer shell.
“Once it’s out of the shell, gently grasp the soft flesh, blanch it in boiling water for a minute, then place it in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer before preparing to cook.”
Warner added that the bugs have a “nutty flavor” and a nice crunch when stir-fried in olive oil with a little seasoning, but they’re also good in stir-fries.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, people with shellfish allergies should avoid eating cicadas because they are related to shrimp and lobsters.
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But Dr. Wade Sayers, a food safety expert at Michigan State University, warned that foraging for cicadas could come with potential health risks.
“There are a lot of different risks involved, and one of the problems we have is there hasn’t been a lot of research done on how big those risks are,” Dr. Sayers told the Times. told.
“We don’t know if insects in the wild are contaminated with bacteria, just by looking at the life cycle of insects and where they spend their time.”
Scientists have classified more than 3,000 species of cicadas into two groups: annual cicadas and periodic cicadas, and it is the emergence of the latter group that is currently causing the cicada apocalypse. .
Periodic cicadas burrow underground shortly after hatching from their eggs, where they spend the first 13 or 17 years of their lives, depending on the species.
Once they emerge from the ground, they only live for four to six weeks. long enough to mate, fertilize, lay eggs, and start the cycle all over again.
This spring, for the first time since 1803, both 13-year and 17-year varieties appeared simultaneously in the United States.
This means more than 1 trillion insects swarm across 16 U.S. states in May and June, causing loud noises as the males try to attract females.
Cicada experts say these two North American cicada species can emit an alarm sound as loud as 105.9 decibels, or “as loud as a lawnmower.”
“Double eclosion is a one-in-two-to-three-times-in-a-lifetime occurrence,” said Dr. Gene Kritsky, an entomologist, cicada expert and professor at Mount St. Joseph University.
“This happens 12 times every 221 years, but this is the first time since 1803 that these siblings have hatched together.”
There is only one species of cicada native to the UK, the New Forest cicada, but it is critically endangered and rarely seen.
