They are invading the US by the billions and are known for making an annoying buzzing sound.
But one way Americans have been dealing with the “apocalyptic” influx of cicadas is by eating them.
The small insects, which are brown at first but darken as they mature, are low in fat, high in protein and have a nutty flavor, 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, wrapped in bacon, or simply fried in spices as a tasty snack.
Bill Broadbent, president of the edible insect company Entosense in Maine, said cicadas are “high in protein” and comparable to beef in terms of nutritional value.
Restaurants and home cooks alike are using these noisy insects in their dishes as they swarm across the United States this spring. Pictured is a cicada salad served at the New Orleans Audubon Insectarium on April 17, 2024.
Cicadas are medium to large sized insects known for their robust bodies, clear wings, and high-pitched buzzing sounds. Pictured are cicadas in Nashville, Tennessee, May 6, 2024.
“They contain healthy fats, are low in calories and carbohydrates and are a good source of antioxidants,” Broadbent told MailOnline.
“Insect protein is a true animal protein and includes all essential amino acids.”
In New Orleans, Bug Appétit, a restaurant at the city’s Audubon Insectarium, prepares dishes like cicada salad and roasted cicadas.
Zack Lemann, curator of animal collections at the Insectarium, is legally permitted to serve wild-caught cicadas while he works to find sources for the insects.
“Every culture has things they love to eat and, maybe, things that are taboo or things that people just wrinkle their nose and frown at,” Lemann said.
“And there is no reason to do that with insects when you consider the nutritional value, their quality on the plate, their flavor and the environmental benefits of collecting insects instead of dealing with livestock.”
El Rey in Philadelphia has also used cicadas, chopped for sauces and mixed into potato soup to add a nutty flavor, while Bar Sótano in Chicago also plans to add cicadas to the menu.
But it’s not just professional chefs who have been using these insects in their cooking.
According Smithsonian MagazineA South Carolina couple recently hosted a dinner featuring cicadas wrapped in bacon, fried in Cajun spices, and even turned into praline.
Jim Warner, former director of the food and nutrition program at Ohio State University Medical Center, said home cooks should collect cicadas from wooded areas far from homes.
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Zach Lemann, curator of animal collections at the Audubon Insectarium, fries cicadas for food at the New Orleans Insectarium, Wednesday, April 17, 2024
According to one expert, cicadas have a “nutty flavor” and a nice crunch when sautéed in olive oil with some seasonings, but they also make a good stir-fry.
“Stay away from well-tended lawns because of the potential for lawn chemicals and other contaminants that cicadas may have absorbed,” he said in a statement. blog post.
‘Watch them climb a tree and start shedding their outer shell.
“When they are out of their shell, carefully take the soft bodies, blanch them in boiling water for a minute, then place them in a zip-top bag and place them in the freezer before preparing them for cooking.”
Warner adds that the bugs have a “nutty flavor” and a nice crunch when sautéed in olive oil with some seasonings, but they also make a good stir-fry.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, people with shellfish allergies should avoid eating cicadas because they have a familial relationship with shrimp and lobsters.
The two baby cicadas that will arrive in spring 2024 are expected to live about a month. Here, a periodical cicada is seen amid empty cicada shells, Arlington, Virginia, May 2021.
Cicadas from the Southeast and Midwest will arrive by the billions, according to the University of Connecticut
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, people with shellfish allergies should avoid eating cicadas because they have a familial relationship with shrimp and lobsters.
However, Dr. Wade Syers, a food safety specialist at Michigan State University, warned that searching for cicadas can carry potential health risks.
“There are a lot of different risks and one of the problems we have is that there isn’t a lot of research on how big those risks are,” Dr. Syers said. the times.
“If you just think about the life cycle of insects and where they’re going to spend their time, we don’t know if the ones that… come from the wild have been contaminated with bacteria.”
Scientists divide the more than 3,000 species of cicadas into two groups: “annual” and “periodic,” but it is the emergence of the latter group that is currently causing a “cicada apocalypse.”
Shortly after a periodical cicada hatches from its egg, it hides in the ground, where it spends the first 13 or 17 years of its life, depending on the species.
When it emerges from the ground, it lives only four to six weeks longer, long enough to mate, fertilize or lay eggs and begin the cycle again.
This spring in the United States, the appearance of 13- and 17-year-old varieties coincides for the first time since 1803.
This means more than a billion insects will invade 16 US states in May and June, creating a loud buzzing sound as the male attempts to attract the female.
Cicada experts say the two North American variations of the species can produce an alarming call of up to 105.9 decibels, or “as loud as a lawnmower.”
“Double emergence is a phenomenon that occurs one in two or three in a lifetime,” said Dr. Gene Kritsky, a professor, entomologist and cicada expert at Mount St. Joseph University.
“This happens 12 times every 221 years, but this is the first time since 1803 that these hatchlings will emerge together.”
In the UK, there is only one native species of cicada, the New Forest cicada, and it is endangered and rarely seen.