Cicada emergence creates some fine dining options
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The 13- and 17-year-old cicada broods that are coming out this year are some of the longest-living insects in the world. Photo: Whitney Shefte/The Washington Post via Getty Images
A rare emergence of cicadas is creating excitement among some dining circles.
Why it matters: It's an opportunity to rethink entomophagy — the eating of insects, Ginny Mitchell, the program coordinator at Iowa State University's Insect Zoo, tells Axios.
Catch up fast: Two regional broods of cicadas are emerging simultaneously for the first time in 221 years in parts of southern Iowa and central Illinois.
- Trillions of them are expected across 16 states over the next few weeks.
- Some cicadas are already appearing in Southern states but the Midwest is expected to peak in a few weeks.
Zoom in: Mitchell, who eats bugs like ants or crickets regularly, plans to snack on cicadas for the first time this year and will collect them during a trip to Illinois next month.
- She's considering air frying and making a special sauce for them.
The intrigue: The insects were recently dubbed the "noisy lobsters of the trees" by the New York Times.
- Chefs and foragers are collecting them for dishes like cicada-stuffed pasta or kimchi.
- They have a "mild woody flavor," per the Times.
Stunning stat: Entomophagy is practiced in most parts of the world with more than 2,200 species of insects, according to scientific journal Nature.
- Edible bugs have "remarkable attributes" and are becoming an increasingly significant part of global food systems, per Nature.
Dig in: Mitchell plans to serve cicadas samples at "Bug Village," a free annual event at ISU's Advanced Teaching and Research Building from 11am-3pm Aug. 24.
- She will also preserve some for Keokuk Bald Eagle Appreciation Days early next year.
1 fun thing to go: The Cicada Safari app includes a map of current sightings.
- Email [email protected] and tell us if you're planning a hunt!
