Introduction: How to Eat Cicada. Get Prepared for Great Famine!
I always dreamed of eating cicada.
Pros:
Environmentally Friendly. Unlike common livestock, which need huge amount of grains or grass to produce meat, cicada feeds on a little bit of tree saps due to the fact that insects are heterotherm (do not used energy to maintain body temperature). Endotherms (mammals and birds) convert large portion of their energy to produce heat in order to maintain body temperature at 37C or 42C respectively.
Ruminants such as cows produce large amount of methane gas, which is 21 times more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. And a cow can produce up to 130 gallons of methane a day according to Los Angels Time ("Killer Cow Emission" Opinion 10/15/2007).
Cons:
If people start eating cicadas at once due to the needs for food or simply their good taste, you might drive them to extinction. They feed on tree sap while in under ground for several years (3~17). After they emerged from the ground, they last for up to a month. Fortunately, for now they are plenty.
Step 1: Materials and Methods
Materials Required
1. Some passion to eat cicada. If you can't find it, it can be substituted with great hunger or curiosity.
2. Bug catching net.
3. Vegetable oil and frying pan.
4. Salt and pepper.
Step 2: Catch Them!
It is easier to catch cicadas in relatively urban area where you can find not so tall trees (those in new parks).
Step 3: Get Ready for Cooking.
Take off wings from cicada. Oh, yes they scream!
Step 4: Fry Alive!
Heat your frying pan with vegetable oil.
Put the cicada in while they are alive.
Cook well, until they are crispy.
Step 5: Enjoy Your Snack!
Put some salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
92 Comments
8 years ago on Introduction
lol, this post is still kickin =)
8 years ago on Introduction
wtf
8 years ago
kedwa30, The reason humans should cook them is because most insects carry salmonella so killing the insect also kills the majority of germs
12 years ago on Introduction
the other day I saw canned water bugs for sale at the asian market. I was super tempted. I've always said the same about the historic "Famine" . Why the heck didn't people just eat the locust ?
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
That's so true. And grass hoppers are good. I will look for water bugs in Chinese store.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I've seen them sold frozen ,canned in brine or sauce, and made into paste. Sometimes called 'water scorpions' or giant water bug . There is a flying variety
here in the NW with a fierce bite. They get pretty big ,so a few can make a whole meal.
Some much for famine , eh ? =)
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
If I'm not mistaken that is a toe biter.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Yes. Yet another colloquial name for them buggers . It may surprise you to know how many bugs and bug parts the fda allows in our food. We eat way more of em than we may know . =D
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Oh, I know all about that and I still eat peanut butter (it's packed with buggy goodness). Probably because it doesn't taste like toes. But, who knows, maybe toe biters taste like peanut butter and less like, "That's not toe cheese." than I think they do.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
It bites your toes? That must hurt a lot.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
not sure why they get that particular label since waterbugs jump and fly. They inject digestive fluid through a sharp mouth probe like . So one can assume that being injected with acid will hurt like the Dickens .
I guess they don't really bite . Maybe cause they're the size of a big toe ?
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Maybe they taste cheesy like a toe and since they're bite size you get toe biter. That one looks a bit bigger than bite sized though.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
yikes! sorry that picture is downright scary . Then again ,so are giant lobsters and big crabs.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Wow, that is a big bug. and wonder how it tastes like...
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
a youtube friend have a great channel . the describes how stuff like this tastes and feels. thaipulsedotcom on youtube . Future Protein = )
12 years ago on Introduction
No offense and I'll probably be forced by famine to eat my words but, I think I would probably barf first and then I'd probably eat the barf before any of the cicadas. Good to know it can be done although hopefully not by me.
12 years ago on Introduction
Great instructible. I have a pet mouse and when I put a roach in his cage he will catch it and start eating it from the abdomen first while it is still alive. I was just wondering if there is a reason why we would need to cook the insects since my pet mouse and cats etc. have no problems eating them alive?
Wouldn't you get the benefits of their enzymes and more nutrition by not cooking them since cooking will reduce vitamins?
I know there is a danger of salmonella from raw chicken, but would the insect be sterilized on the outside when euthanizing it in ethanol?
Is ethanol edible or would it need to be evaporated before eating?
Thanks for the great 'ible!
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Enzymes are proteins and will be digested in our stomach anyway. Ethanol will kill the external bacterias that live on their exoskeleton but not those in their gastrointestinal tract. It is safer to sterilize the since they might carry some pathogens. Ethanol is edible but you need to use food grade, not medical grade or industrial grade ethanol.
12 years ago on Introduction
Could the same be done with crickets? I once had very tasty salt and vinegar flavored crickets, I would like to home make them .
12 years ago on Step 5
The part of me that wants to be disgusted is being overpowered by the part of me that has deliquescent curiosity.