Cicadas started sprouting from the ground in full force about a month ago and have since made their presence known across the country, including Georgia.
Cicada Safari, a mobile app that allows users to track and report cicada sightings, has reported more than 2,000 sightings across the state. But Georgians aren’t alone, as this is part of the simultaneous rise of double-brooding with cicadas popping up in Arkansas, the Carolinas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia.
While some consider these noisy, ugly critters a nuisance, others see them as a treat. Here’s a closer look at how and why people eat crickets:
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Is it safe to eat crickets?
University of Georgia entymology professor Nancy Hinkle said it is safe to eat crickets as long as you are not allergic to the insects. People who are allergic to shrimp may also want to proceed with caution, as the insect exoskeleton has similarities to shrimp shells. UGA Extension agent Campbell Vaughn added that you should remove the wings and legs.
What do crickets taste like?
The taste of crickets varies from person to person. Vaughn ate some during a CBS News segment, where one of the hosts said they tasted like potato chips. Hinkle said it mostly depends on the type of sauce they are cooked in. The outside is crispy and crickets are usually quite oily on the inside, giving them a smooth, rich flavor.
Are there cicada recipes?
Vaughn had dipped some fried crickets in hot sauce on CBS. He said afterwards that interested parties would probably want to Google some better recipes, because what he tried didn’t taste that good.
The Washington Post has one Recipe for ‘Spicy Popcorn Cicadas’ where crickets are frozen for hours, covered with Worcestershire sauce and various spices, coated with a flour mixture and then fried.
24×7 grilling has something similar Tempura Style Recipe that combines the crickets well with a sriracha aioli.
CBS News has one Cicada cookie recipe which involves dry roasting the crickets, brushing them with a mixture of egg whites and sugar and then placing them on chocolate chip cookie dough before baking.
Why do people eat crickets?
There are several reasons why people eat crickets. For starters, it’s a rare novelty that won’t be available until the next month or so. Once the crickets disappear, they won’t appear again within 10 years, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. According to Vaughn, it’s also high in protein.
But there are also some practical reasons not to dismiss this idea. Joseph Yoon is chef and founder of Brooklyn Bugs, a group of edible insect ambassadors, who has recently been featured on multiple news outlets explaining how crickets are a potential eco-friendly solution to food insecurity.
“How are we going to sustainably feed the world population in 2050?” he asked on NPR. “It requires far fewer resources in the form of water, feed and land. And it creates far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the counterpart livestock we traditionally use today.”
This article originally appeared in Augusta Chronicle: Eating Cicadas in Georgia: Recipes, Safety Tips, Environmental Professionals
