Cicadas

[scottish]

Anyone here eating cicadas?   Apparently they're a thing in the southern US right now.   Unfortunately I'm allergic to shellfish, so it's not safe to try them. 


Mmmmm, cicada pizza.

[cool7hand]

Not personally. I do plan on taking some younger relatives fishing and using cicadas plucked from bushes as bait!

[uniwelder]

They emerged in my region (brood IX) last year, but I never got up the nerve to try eating them.  For some reason, they didn't swarm (visibly where I could grab some) in huge numbers where I was at, though I could hear them all around, so all the time I kept telling myself (chickened out) there aren't enough of them to make it worthwhile.  Then when I thought it was now or never, the season was closing.  Maybe in another 16 years I hope to get enough courage.  They're just so freaky looking with their bulging eyes.

There are some great YouTube videos about how to prep them--- boil in a pot, drain, pick off the wings if you prefer, then add to sauce, etc.

[tygertygertyger]

My friends threw a cicada party during one of the 17 yr cicada reigns. Battered and deep-fried was the only option I tried then... it was okay.

[draco44]

I'm curious how they taste but mainly just think cicadas are really cool and am happy to watch them do their thing.

I recently learned that the wings of some cicadas are naturally antibiotic, killing bacteria on contact with a layer of incredibly tiny spikes and a special coating. Researchers are studying how they do it to see if we can invent new strategies for destroying unwanted microbes without resorting to chemical antibiotics. The wing surface is also naturally water repellent, and studying its structure may help us develop better raincoats in the future.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/14-fun-facts-about-cicadas-180977361/

[dougules]

Eating cicadas isn't a thing down here generally aside from gimmicks like this.  I'd be willing to try it, though.  They might be good. 

As kids we do play with the nymph exoskeletons that are shed when they become adults, though.  They're really alien looking if you see them up close.  DH tells me that playing with bugs isn't a thing where he grew up. 

[shelivesthedream]

Ewwwww. I've read about insects being the next big global protein source (that or lab-grown meat), but... ewwww. Just thinking about the mouthfeel makes me all icky inside. That said, I wouldn't have much of a problem with a kind of insect flour/protein powder. Something I could buy in a nice, safe, anonymous, highly-processed, consumerist box. :)

[GuitarStv]

I feel like people are vying to put the least appetizing and grossest looking pictures possible, like the pizza one at the top of this thread.  FFS, I don't even put whole mushrooms on my pizza . . . who the hell would put something that disgusting looking on like that?  At least dice them into little bits.

[dougules]

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects. 

[shelivesthedream]

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects.

So are they, like Simba says, slimy yet satisfying? Or presumably, with many, crunchy yet satisfying?

[GuitarStv]

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects.

I'm not squeamish about eating insects . . . just like good presentation.  Throwing whole bugs on a pizza is like throwing a bunch of whole chicken kidneys on a pizza.  Just kinda gross.

[simonsez]

That said, I wouldn't have much of a problem with a kind of insect flour/protein powder. Something I could buy in a nice, safe, anonymous, highly-processed, consumerist box. :)

Honestly, I think this is a great idea.

A quick google search shows me this already exists but seems to be expensive and fairly gimmicky.  It wouldn't surprise me if it becomes a much bigger "thing" in the future due to a healthy mix of necessity, cultural acceptance, and advertising, though. 

[scottish]

There sure are a lot of gypsy moth caterpillars around here this year...

But I'd have to be pretty hungry to try eating them.

[GuitarStv]

There sure are a lot of gypsy moth caterpillars around here this year...

But I'd have to be pretty hungry to try eating them.

Many people get a rash if they handle them, so I always figured they were poisonous.  Is that not the case?

[bacchi]

That said, I wouldn't have much of a problem with a kind of insect flour/protein powder. Something I could buy in a nice, safe, anonymous, highly-processed, consumerist box. :)

I add cricket powder to my smoothies. It has a slight nutty taste.

[shelivesthedream]

I think there'd need to be a lot of cultural education about what the heck to do with insect powder. The only things I can think of are using it to replace a small proportion of flour in baked goods, and adding it to smoothies (which I don't drink). It's hard to imagine using it in my current diet.

[scottish]

There sure are a lot of gypsy moth caterpillars around here this year...

But I'd have to be pretty hungry to try eating them.

Many people get a rash if they handle them, so I always figured they were poisonous.  Is that not the case?

Sources suggest their hairs produce a histamine that causes an allergic reaction.   doesn't sound like a good food source to me, but the birds in my little oak tree are having a good time with them.

[windytrail]

I think there'd need to be a lot of cultural education about what the heck to do with insect powder. The only things I can think of are using it to replace a small proportion of flour in baked goods, and adding it to smoothies (which I don't drink). It's hard to imagine using it in my current diet.

You could use it in Indian cooking as a substitute for besan (chickpea powder). For example, this recipe by Manali Singh is one of our favorites: https://www.cookwithmanali.com/punjabi-kadhi-pakora/

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects. 

Agreed, but to be fair, many meat eaters are also squeamish about eating meat containing bones (hence the popularity of burgers and "boneless" chicken), lest they be reminded of their meal's living origins.

[PoutineLover]

I've eaten energy bars made with cricket powder. They're pretty healthy, but I didn't like the taste too much. But then again, I think a lot of energy bars are kinda weird tasting so who knows. I'm not opposed to insect protein, it's just gotta taste good and be easy to cook/prepare for it to become widespread.

[Metalcat]

I don't like the feeling of chitin in my teeth.

[RetiredAt63]

I don't like the feeling of chitin in my teeth.

That's why I peel my shrimp.    ;-)

[Metalcat]

I don't like the feeling of chitin in my teeth.

That's why I peel my shrimp.    ;-)

Yes, that's exactly what eating insects is like. From now on when I try to describe what it feels like eating giant Colombian fried ants, I'm going to say it's like eating shrimp with the shell on, but with a thicker shell.

[RetiredAt63]

I don't like the feeling of chitin in my teeth.

That's why I peel my shrimp.    ;-)

Yes, that's exactly what eating insects is like. From now on when I try to describe what it feels like eating giant Colombian fried ants, I'm going to say it's like eating shrimp with the shell on, but with a thicker shell.

So why not peel them?

I know honeybee larvae are a favoured insect food because their exoskeleton is so soft.  Big insects that are easy to peel should also be fine, especially with any recipe that uses shrimp/crayfish/lobster.

[Metalcat]

I don't like the feeling of chitin in my teeth.

That's why I peel my shrimp.    ;-)

Yes, that's exactly what eating insects is like. From now on when I try to describe what it feels like eating giant Colombian fried ants, I'm going to say it's like eating shrimp with the shell on, but with a thicker shell.

So why not peel them?

I know honeybee larvae are a favoured insect food because their exoskeleton is so soft.  Big insects that are easy to peel should also be fine, especially with any recipe that uses shrimp/crayfish/lobster.

Peel ants?

[GuitarStv]

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects. 

Agreed, but to be fair, many meat eaters are also squeamish about eating meat containing bones (hence the popularity of burgers and "boneless" chicken), lest they be reminded of their meal's living origins.

Similar to those 'vegetarians' who eat the banana but not the peel.  Squeamish hypocrites - amiright?  *rollseyes*

[dougules]

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects. 

Agreed, but to be fair, many meat eaters are also squeamish about eating meat containing bones (hence the popularity of burgers and "boneless" chicken), lest they be reminded of their meal's living origins.

Similar to those 'vegetarians' who eat the banana but not the peel.  Squeamish hypocrites - amiright?  *rollseyes*

Deciding you don't like a flavor or texture after trying a new food is different from being squeamish and just dismissing it based on what it is.   I don't eat banana peels because they're too chewy and don't taste good, not because I think they're gross. 

[bacchi]

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects. 

Agreed, but to be fair, many meat eaters are also squeamish about eating meat containing bones (hence the popularity of burgers and "boneless" chicken), lest they be reminded of their meal's living origins.

Similar to those 'vegetarians' who eat the banana but not the peel.  Squeamish hypocrites - amiright?  *rollseyes*

How is that hypocritical? Hypocrisy would be insisting that the entire plant has to be eaten, for all foods all the time, and then not doing that for the banana.

[GuitarStv]

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects. 

Agreed, but to be fair, many meat eaters are also squeamish about eating meat containing bones (hence the popularity of burgers and "boneless" chicken), lest they be reminded of their meal's living origins.

Similar to those 'vegetarians' who eat the banana but not the peel.  Squeamish hypocrites - amiright?  *rollseyes*

How is that hypocritical? Hypocrisy would be insisting that the entire plant has to be eaten, for all foods all the time, and then not doing that for the banana.

It's hypocritical to call out people who remove a gross part of one sort of food as unusually squeamish and not wanting to be reminded of their meal's living origins while routinely removing a gross part of another food for the same reasons.

[bacchi]

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects. 

Agreed, but to be fair, many meat eaters are also squeamish about eating meat containing bones (hence the popularity of burgers and "boneless" chicken), lest they be reminded of their meal's living origins.

Similar to those 'vegetarians' who eat the banana but not the peel.  Squeamish hypocrites - amiright?  *rollseyes*

How is that hypocritical? Hypocrisy would be insisting that the entire plant has to be eaten, for all foods all the time, and then not doing that for the banana.

It's hypocritical to call out people who remove a gross part of one sort of food as unusually squeamish and not wanting to be reminded of their meal's living origins while routinely removing a gross part of another food for the same reasons.

That's not the same at all. Not eating the peel has nothing to do with trying to hide the plant origins of a banana. Is tofu trying to hide its soy origins? Is ground wheat trying to hide the fact that it comes from a grass?

[shelivesthedream]

Is it hypocritical to eat boneless meat because it's more convenient? We don't eat a lot of meat, and what we do eat doesn't look a whole lot like it came from an animal. (Sausages, bacon and pulled pork are our top three by a long way. Cuz tasty!) Mr SLTD is making coronation chicken on Friday and is planning to buy boneless chicken so he can just chop it up.

I totally agree that lots of meat eaters do want to ignore their meal's animal origins. And there are parts of meat I am squeamish about (eyes and brains ain't never gonna happen - it's just freaky. And offal at the table in general needs to be minced/disguised because looking at a plate of tripe and being able to imagine the poop squeezing through it is also just freaky) - but we'd like to try out having non-pet eating animals at some point.

Anyway, I think pre-made burgers or chicken nuggets or boneless chicken or salmon fillets are convenience foods, not necessarily squeamish foods. Trust me, cooking a whole salmon is really inconvenient. Have to curve it round awkwardly to fit in the oven, have to slice it off the bones yourself and probably miss a few, have lots of inedible bits to deal with stinking out your bin and then have to throw away. I am very grateful that factories will get rid of all the bits I don't want and just sell me the bit I actually want to eat.

[GuitarStv]

I always find it a little ironic when non-vegetarians are squeamish about eating insects. 

Agreed, but to be fair, many meat eaters are also squeamish about eating meat containing bones (hence the popularity of burgers and "boneless" chicken), lest they be reminded of their meal's living origins.

Similar to those 'vegetarians' who eat the banana but not the peel.  Squeamish hypocrites - amiright?  *rollseyes*

How is that hypocritical? Hypocrisy would be insisting that the entire plant has to be eaten, for all foods all the time, and then not doing that for the banana.

It's hypocritical to call out people who remove a gross part of one sort of food as unusually squeamish and not wanting to be reminded of their meal's living origins while routinely removing a gross part of another food for the same reasons.

That's not the same at all. Not eating the peel has nothing to do with trying to hide the plant origins of a banana. Is tofu trying to hide its soy origins? Is ground wheat trying to hide the fact that it comes from a grass?

Assuming that we're continuing with the incorrect assumption that people don't like bones because they want to hide the origin of their food, then sure.

I do not have any confusion or discomfort knowing where my meat comes from (and have trapped, hunted, and skinned my own food many times), but also often prefer food with bones and gristle removed - so it seems like a dumb assumption to make.

[RetiredAt63]

Anyone eating bbq/rotisserie chicken gets to see almost the whole skeleton.  Small fish are often intact (except for abdominal contents).  We clean animal carcasses because it isn't healthy eating to leave the gut in there for long.

Shank steak is a bit obvious/much for some people because it isn't just a bone, it is the cross section of the bone and the marrow is visible.