Bug appétit!
If you are feeling adventurous, looking to add more protein to your diet and aren’t allergic to shellfish, the imminent emergence of cicadas presents a culinary opportunity for you.
“I have not personally cooked them, but I have heard they have a nutty flavor with the thorax having the consistency of melted butter,” said Chef Bryan Flower, who’s worked in kitchens all over the world and is currently assistant director for food systems innovation at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Flower suggested those curious about entomophagy (the practice of dining on bugs) check out “Cicada-Licious: Cooking and Enjoying Periodic Cicadas,” written by a University of Maryland alum, which provides some recipes for using the insects in meals.
The publication notes that cicadas and other insects are in the same class of animals (Arthropoda) as crawfish, lobster, crab and shrimp. That’s why people with shellfish allergies should not try eating them.
“Many people all over the world eat insects and other arthropods both as a delicacy and staple,” the publication notes.
It also notes that, “insects are a part of all processed food from wheat meal for bread to tomato ketchup.”
Chef Patrick Stewart, an assistant professor at Elgin Community College, said he couldn’t get exact recipes but he had four ideas for how to prepare cicadas:
- Bacon-wrapped cicadas stuffed with Manchego cheese and served with smoked red pepper coulis.
- Cicada cakes served over tricolor pepper slaw and a Cajun-Remoulade sauce.
- Tempura fried Cicadas with a Sriracha-apricot dipping sauce.
- Chipotle-chocolate dipped cicadas.
For those willing to try them, Stewart said edible ones can be purchased online. Those who want to forage for them themselves should know a bit about the soil in which the insects were dwelling before consuming them, he said.
For preparing cicadas, basic food safety should be followed, particularly washing and drying them, Stewart said. When cooking, he suggests it might be good to bring their internal temperature to 145 degrees, as is the case with seafood, before consuming them.
Once the cicadas arrive and the ECC semester is over, Stewart said he might be tempted to prepare a dish with the insects himself.
“We’ll see. I’ll keep you posted,” Stewart said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
