Posted on 04/20/2024 11:44:51 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
NEW ORLEANS — As the nation prepares for trillions of red-eyed bugs known as periodical cicadas to emerge, it's worth noting that they're not just annoying, noisy pests — if prepared properly, they can also be tasty to eat.
Blocks away from such French Quarter fine-dining stalwarts as Antoine's and Brennan's, the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans has long served up an array of alternative, insect-based treats at its “Bug Appetit” cafe overlooking the Mississippi River. “Cinnamon Bug Crunch,” chili-fried waxworms, and crispy, cajun-spiced crickets are among the menu items.
Periodical cicadas stay buried for years, until they surface and take over a landscape. Depending on the variety, the emergence happens every 13 or 17 years. This year two groups are expected to emerge soon, averaging around 1 million per acre over hundreds of millions of acres across parts of 16 states in the Midwest and South.
They emerge when the ground warms to 64 degrees, which is happening earlier than it used to because of climate change, entomologists said. The bugs are brown at first but darken as they mature.
Recently, Zack Lemann, the Insectarium's curator of animal collections, has been working up cicada dishes that may become part of the menu. He donned a chef's smock this week to show a couple of them off, including a green salad with apple, almonds, blueberry vinaigrette — and roasted cicadas. Fried cicada nymphs were dressed on top with a warm mixture of creole mustard and soy sauce.
“I do dragonflies in a similar manner,” Lemann said as he used tweezers to plop nymphs into a container of flour before cooking them in hot oil.
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
One has to wonder about the soil type these bugs have been living in. . . . .I would venture to say that the Lord made sure John the Baptist’s locusts came from a pristine source under His protection.
I stopped reading when they mentioned climate change.🙄
We get Circada’s every year in Arizona. Their irritating buzz is like Summer announcing itself. We use to hunt the little buggers with a BB gun. Our dog eagerly pounched on the ones we hit. At least to a dog they taste good!
You hate babies.
Nah. Just giving the little bastard a taste of his own medicine.
Tastes like craw daddy
For a man like John the Baptist
I’m certain he was well-protected until he must decrease
Locusts and cicadas are two different bugs. Locusts are kosher by the way.
Thanks for the clarification :) Crickets on the other hand . . . https://www.publichealth.com.ng/dangers-of-eating-crickets/ There are cricket pushers abound these days.
Those look like discarded molts from cicadas. They go through one last molt into their adult form soon after surfacing and then start looking for love.
Isn’t it funny how creepy Crayfish and other shellfish look, even Shrimp when they’ve still got their heads, and yet we’ll eat THEM without any hesitation! ;)
I’m STILL not eating bugs on purpose, though. :)
I'm also fascinated watching the cicada killer wasps at our ball field carrying a dead cicada back to it's burrow in the sandy ground.
Nature IS incredibly cut-throat, isn’t she?
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