Community Corner

Would You Eat a Cicada?

These bugs in your backyard could be a new-found treat.

While some find cicadas to be loud, annoying and disgusting, others call them delicious.

Cicadas are considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, primarily Southeast Asia. 

The Baltimore Sun reported that cicadas are commonly sauteed or fried. Gaye Williams, an entomologist with the Maryland Department of Agriculture in Annapolis, affirmed, "Cicadas are the truffles of the insect world. They're just like any other food commodity, but they're scarce."

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They can also be eaten covered in chocolate, roasted, marinated or pickled.

"They're high in protein, low in fat, no carbs," said Gene Kritsky, a biologist and cicada expert at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. "They're quite nutritious, a good set of vitamins," he told National Geographic News during the last major cicada outbreak in 2004.

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Cicadas are common in the mid-Atlantic region, and some come out every spring and summer. But with a unique brood of cicadas awaking from a 17-year slumber this spring, chances are you will see more cicadas in 2013 than any year since 2004.

There’s no mistaking cicadas for other large insects. Cicadas are generally ¾- to 2-inches long. They have wide-set eyes, six legs, and long, transparent wings.

So, if you’re brave enough to eat one, here are a few recipes for cooked cicadas

Would you ever eat a cicada? Have you even eaten one? Share with us in the comments below!


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