Cooking and Eating Cicadas -- Yum!

Thirteen years ago, we got really into cicada content and created a whole (now-defunct) website that included cicada recipes. While we no longer condone eating cicadas, we thought you might enjoy this video of our intrepid writer Kevin chowing down on cicadas back in 2011. tnhomeandfarm....

[@triratna1397]

Chinese ate this 5 tons daily. During cicada plague invasion. If you can't beat them. Eat them.

[@claudegausseres8641]

Que bueno

[@YeTism]

Chinese eat anything that moves

[@jacques8823]

@@YeTism cicadas have evolved to be eaten actually. strange but true.

[@bhkfdbfb]

Eat bats too

[@moderately_exhausted]

@@YeTism That's a stereotype

[@TheMedic5194]

I couldn't help but notice he didn't clean his plate.

[@wathebizcuz704]

🤣😂🤣🤣🤣

[@juanestrella9014]

Yeah

[@soloscriptura7451]

Interestingly, it’s one of the bugs in the Torah that is considered “clean” meaning you can eat it as food. A cockroach is considered “unclean” meaning it is not recognized as food and is bad for you.

[@meghoughton562]

What?!? I'm so surprised! I wouldn't think *any* insect would be considered "clean." 🤔

[@soloscriptura7451]

@@meghoughton562 it’s pretty simple, decomposers aren’t considered clean... just as pork or shellfish aren’t considered clean. Not sure where you are going with that.

[@soloscriptura7451]

@@meghoughton562 but if you need help understanding the difference: “Consumers need to eat other organisms to obtain energy without returning anything to the environment. Decomposers survive on dead things by breaking them down , but they can also feast on decaying flesh while it's still on a living organism The plant is the producer and the grasshopper is the primary consumer. All the other animals are secondary consumers. As the grasshopper eats the plant and the other animals eat one another, energy is passed along the food chain. Producers can make their own food by capturing the sun's energy, but consumersand decomposers can't.” Shalom.

[@nicholaswiseguy2906]

@@soloscriptura7451 very interesting and makes sense, thank you for the explanation.

[@uPSIDEdOWN577]

It looks just like a cockroach

[@m1lfk1nk]

Did he know that there was a cicada on his shirt in the beginning

[@avamelia7410]

😂🤣 I need to know if he meant to put it there

[@Hirohito_iLoveYou]

The cicada in the beginning was a paid actor

[@christopherorozco9404]

Of course he put it there. Let you know what he is talking about. How much know what a cicada is?

[@dbsfsweet7778]

@@christopherorozco9404 how much know grammar well?

[@ryan_trice]

@@dbsfsweet7778 🤭

[@chris111690]

He overcooked the ones. the veggies take longer to cook add the bugs last. simple cooking and he failed.

[@marksibert305]

I heard that catching them while molting from the shell and soft, is the ideal condition for cooking. And you don't have to pluck wings.

[@Official360]

Ewl naw

[@JohnnyMoosemeat]

That's how I tried them in Thailand! Soo food and still soft...

[@jarrodchambers8185]

Im going to be feeding my family these for 6 weeks now that hyperinflation is here!

[@TheUser808]

Why is everything political these days.

[@jarrodchambers8185]

That’s not political

[@knifedeku452]

Have you ate any yet, how do they taste?

[@jarrodchambers8185]

Not yet. Im in az- ont get there until the tail end of this

[@davidkershakov2480]

@@jarrodchambers8185 here in the east there are millions. Night and day it sounds like a LOUD lawn mower going off non stop.

[@mergingbutterfly]

My hometown of Baltimore, MD they come out ever 17 years Brood X

[@axaboutme717]

I can't help laughing as the chef laughs at the news reporter for eating the cicadas

[@walkingmonument]

Him:Come on! Join me! Me: I’m right behind you. Just lead the way.

[@Raketemensch-fl3sv]

Dude, i had cicadas for the first time yesterday, and this guy's reaction was way lukewarm. They're f--king *TASTY*! I'm into trying any new weird food for bragging rights, so i figured i'd just have one, but they were surprisingly good, so i ended up eating several, and if i saw them in a market, i'd definitely buy some. The shell isn't so hard as to make chewing them a chore, and the meat is even meatier and less seafoodish than i was expecting. Cliched, but i got a chicken-y taste from them. I definitely had an aversion to the sight of them (i hate insects on like a metaphysical level), but i think if one chopped or smashed them up beyond recognition most anyone would enjoy a stir-fry dish like that. I'd recommend to anyone, even if you're not a terribly adventurous eater.

[@nyahnyan]

I mean true..?

[@daytonjanis9960]

You got me fucked I'll never eat an insect they're so gross and creepy ewww fuck

[@gobblegobble239]

That's awsome and for breakfast the next day you can pour a nice warm cup of go fk urslf

[@Alteori]

oh my

[@darkkkonyx]

I swear my asian brothers and sisters can cook anything. I want to try those bugs so bad. lol I really do.

[@jonburrows2684]

Takes years of practice Danielson. Better start off eating these before you graduate to bat, rat, pinqoulins, cat and dog

[@johnsay9147]

Elvis Presley kinda racist

[@andrewcarson6925]

EWWWW 🤢

[@andrewcarson6925]

@@johnsay9147 WELL THEY DO EAT ALL THAT FACTS

[@NotLikeUs17]

@@andrewcarson6925 and who cares if they do? It’s in their culture just like Mcdoodoos is yours...lol

[@vaultvizion]

The fact that the camera cut after E4 at once makes me question how good they were. Either he threw up, spit it out, or made a horrible face.😂

[@schelsullivan]

I coined the most appropriate term for this type of food. "disgustalicious"

[@SashaCree]

Pretty good!😂

[@playbook008]

Its best to remove the wings, and legs before cooking them in hot olive oil.

[@thephenom724]

Kaboom Coba add some lemon pepper and some salt; tastes like bacon to me.

[@maceocardinalekwik5540]

really? what is the difference in taste and texture?

[@xgymratx]

northern new mexico and southern colorado here......the aunties would deep fry....salt them and add red chili powder then bake low heat on bed of paper towels to soak up the grease we call them chicarras

[@Gorguruga]

Insects are eaten by people all over the world everyday. They are predicted to become standard worldwide food because of meat shortages so you will one day see insects for sale in your supermarket wherever you are!

[@charliepeck4353]

I can’t tell if he’s joking or if he really likes it.

[@B_4035mn]

Fun Fact : None of the people here are experts the chef laughed so you can tell he doesn't even know what he is doing the critic obviously doesn't like the food and just wants to peacefully pass away from a parasitic hallucinogenic fungus from a cicada induced by badly prepared food you have the wrong variation of cicadas you need the nymphs not the fully grown cicadas those are old frail dry rough and hard have a greater risk of hallucinogenic fungus and also have more mercury then the nymphs due to being alive for 17 or 13 years please reconsider making this video and reconsider choosing your profession goodbye.

[@jjmini]

hook me up with some of that cicada fungus

[@nicholaswiseguy2906]

@@jjmini lol 😂

[@benselander1482]

Much love for promoting insects as a food/protein source. The chef said "same family" as grasshoppers. But no, not even the same order of insects. Still, let's eat them all!

[@daytonjanis9960]

This comment makes me realize that society is completely doomed.

[@benselander1482]

@@daytonjanis9960 that hamster in your profile pic is looking awfully tasty!!!

[@ChronicOstrich]

@@benselander1482 A bit of spices, im sure the hamster will taste great

[@byonicgaming2318]

in my place eating cicadas or grasshopper is normal, cuz the taste is good , ,

[@ballHand]

I'd try it minus the wings

[@roidroid]

Your CicadaCentral website isn't working btw.

[@JakeWerkmeister]

OK, I'm going to deep fry these bad boys, but for crying out loud, I'm pulling the legs and wings off. That seems to be the common complaint. Hey, it makes sense. From a textual standpoint, they would do nothing to enhance the meal. I don't cook shrimp with the shells on.

[@dh190852]

Can they be frozen? Before or after cooking???

[@Kram6298]

There are different kinds spread over 15 broods. Some 13 years and some 17 years.

[@nathandettmers1799]

So are Male cicadas more nutty than females?

[@GeorgeLee85]

why the chef keep the wings on when he cooks them......

[@jacobeksor6088]

Montagnard indigenous we called yau fry with oil deeply it’s crunchy.

[@ServalLi]

People in our hometown only eat nymphs. It is more delicious than the cicada with wings. Our cook method is so simple. We just fire them with hot oil, then we eat, no any other sauce.

[@elcuhangeltv]

That’s looks really good

[@fayeking75]

He didn't take the wings or legs off before prepareing. At least thats how i cook grasshoppers.

[@lukase32]

Ahh yes... Side dish for my elk steaks. Thanks Joe

[@ChronicOstrich]

Look at all of these sensitive people in the comments, cant handle an insect

[@JoeRussellProductions]

You're supposed to remove the legs and wings.

[@nirvanacoleman3519]

Lol there was a cicada on him

[@vqfive]

You know what else says earthy dirt?Eat some dirt has a really nutty earthy flavor

[@03stmlax]

Oh man you guys gotta get em when they're fresh out of the ground (whitish in color/no wings) or when they have freshly shed their shell and are super white in color

[@ZTriggerGaming]

Brave man 😂

[@d1zturbed221]

I didn’t know you could eat them but I want to try it

[@VirtualNewsmakers]

This guy was definitely a good sport...

[@lasharonbrown9454]

Why didn’t chef pluck the wings? This makes me wonder if he even cleaned them; the veggies should have been fried longer than the bugs. Ughhh

[@fast03vette4me]

Cicadas Con Chorizo Chile Lemon, esta mui bueno muchachos!

[@bandicoot5412]

Hell, you all know what I'll be eatin this spring and summer, pass the hot sauce baby.

[@marylandgirl9246]

I can't, but to each their own.

[@mcv5235]

10 years ago today

[@typhooonn]

cicada is delicious

[@harrietoneal1187]

I am thinking. Of making a smoo-cada 6oz baked cicada 2tbs banana powdered smoothie mix 1 cup blueberry yogurt, mix on high until it looks like gravy add 1 tsp hot honey and then add the 6 cubes of ice blend on high speed 2 min. Serve with mint and keep a clothespin handy to pinch your nose. Drink down within 10 seconds wash down with a shot of Tequila . repeat full of protein!!!😊

[@MyBodyIsDamnReady]

Respect

[@kylemartineau8269]

Dude in the white shirt looks so hesitant to eat it

[@ollie1829]

And America is officially Venezuela.

[@tonyrollman3991]

That cicada grimace...got me tickled bad !!!

[@doitwithtrevor1178]

Am I the only one scared for Markus?

[@Mikeanglo]

With the right sauce and spices and preparation, these are actually pretty good.

[@fayeking75]

Salty and taco style is my fav.

[@Dop3Dreamzent]

WHAT THE FUCK

[@xHOLLlSTERx]

No salt and pepper, garlic?

[@djRoyalTee]

Your site is down :( I'll ask a few Questions here then :) When preparing, do we remove the wings? Also, do we eat the nymphs or only winged? Another, should we clean them off of dirt, and how so?

[@ChronicOstrich]

Yesn't

[@GeorgeLee85]

We remove the wings before cooking them. We eat the whole body minus the wings. They are pretty clean, so just a water rinse should do.

[@faithbetinis4129]

Are you supposed to eat the eyes tho?

[@whctjsdlfqhrlfprl]

This show never on Fox news

[@alwaysknewtowearitwellfanc3650]

Why didn't the cook remove the wings and legs before cooking?

[@ChickenMcThiccken]

maybe the wings melt like butter? lol

[@liamle5508]

My cicadas is spr good

[@arthurloui]

i doubt that because even though insect are plentiful in nature you wont find a bunch of them in one place like when cicadas are coming out or during locust migration. if you look in nature you will see that most strict insectivore are small because collecting lots of insects is very energy demanding and you don't get much in return. the biggest insect eating animal you will see are anteaters because they can raid termites colonies and clean them in a short time.

[@JohnnyMoosemeat]

Ever try them raw?!

[@crazyrichcooking8202]

Hello I am cooking cicadas chip and Larb Lao food 🤪👌👍

[@sainaveenbali]

chinese ofcourse

[@shiikae7787]

The neck area is good.

[@Iroflmaozable]

That actually looks good!

[@Nicholenickinicscott]

You actually can eat insects, in a lot of places, that's considered fine dining

[@sazji]

Actually if they're fried you can eat the whole shrimp too. Crunchy. Try Chinese salt and pepper shrimp.

[@_TheSplicer_]

sazji Cicadas are not shrimp they are bugs

[@sazji]

@@_TheSplicer_Shrimp are also bugs. They’re all arthropods.

[@marshallsprofile2489]

I like that thousand-yard "what have I done" stare and cringe right before he said they were good. Really though remove the wings and legs first. Why doesn't anyone treat these things like they'd treat shrimp? I wouldn't eat a chocolate-covered shrimp, I wouldn't eat a chocolate-covered cicada, even if they look enticing.

[@gracefashion7]

Did you not see a bug on your shirt

[@tammyberk7896]

Is this a spoof??

[@xgymratx]

you got horrible taste in music....us real natives dont listen to that crap

[@SultanTheWound]

Wow this is disgusting... I MUST TRY IT!!!

[@alanlee2489]

i ate cicadas on my last trip to china and they were DELICIOUS!

[@jonburrows2684]

Hope you didn't catch wuhanvirus

[@andrewcarson6925]

Did you eat dogs too

[@googleuser868]

Cicadas come around about as often as Jeepers Creepers. Fix up a heep of cicadas for Jeepers. They're both creepy.

[@TheFrankiebaby3]

He looks like he really hated it.

[@craigmares]

Can you make a cicada cookies

[@ibrozdemir]

any insect cook or insect eater out there, i allways wondered whats happening to the intestins and all that shit excerement inside insects belly, no one bother to clean those up. so what happens when you cook insect, you cook also the shit of the animal?

[@johnbowman1076]

That's why some Chinese restaurants will "de-vein" their shrimp. Otherwise... you're definitely eating poop.

[@moderately_exhausted]

Idk

[@oneworldkingdom]

The cicadas looked dead when he put them in.

[@_TheSplicer_]

The one because they were

[@sazji]

Locusts aren't cicadas, they're grasshoppers.

[@TheRealYujin]

Duh. That's just a southern word for it Jesus.

[@sazji]

@@TheRealYujinPeople call them “locusts” all over. Doesn’t make them locusts.

[@pookergirl]

cicadas are not locusts, that is a southern misconception. locusts are grasshoppers and cicadas are an entire different species/genus whatever you call it.

[@TheRealYujin]

It's more a southern slang than misconception. We're not stupid in the south. We just call shit differently down here.

[@LACROSSECXL]

Slowest moving chef I've ever seen lol

[@2MORROW432.]

🤦🏾‍♀ I don't know why most humans like to eat any and everything.

[@2MORROW432.]

@@petragames6153 Edible for y'all...yer.🙄

[@ChronicOstrich]

@@2MORROW432. because we are omnivores... mind blown 🤯

[@ChronicOstrich]

@ʏ ᴇ ᴇ ɴ exactly, its society now that tells you eating stuff other than the burgerking across your street is gross.

[@loveheals9733]

*No no no no no no!!*

[@randytrashcan]

They're in the same family? No they're not.

[@johnbowman1076]

I don't want to cook these things alive. How do you kill a cicada?

[@sunisshiningiceisslippery]

By cooking them alive.

[@marylandgirl9246]

I've heard you can freeze them first.

[@moderately_exhausted]

Idk stabbing it?

[@ChronicOstrich]

Drown it in the blood of its friends and family

[@lydiacapriotti4577]

I thought they have mercury in them.

[@harrisdeja0]

It’s time, Illinois 😈

[@The_Wizard_Zoo]

Ahhh, another shill for the BIG Cicada.

[@willhelmbernhard3930]

How do you cook that? It`s no meat, take it away and go to learn cooking. Terrible, the oil smokes. Those bugs should be a few moments in ca,170c boiling oil, ready. That`s all.

[@michaelshelton7522]

Why not try roaches too while they're at it🙄

[@ccspaul99]

Lol

[@in2it85]

*This is disgusting but, thankfully they are more disgusting, thank you for eating them.*

[@eddievilla1584]

So, this is McDonald's new value meals. Finger licking terrible!🤢

[@nyanahart8844]

How dare y'all ruin those veggies

[@houbro9868]

Not feeling the cicada recipes. I like harvesting natural resources for food but food is also about presentation. Not feeling the look of a cicada.

[@benabner6257]

Heh heh

[@TheAdminstrator9905]

Nope

[@Chilie_cHill]

This is insane! Just because their are trillions, once humans makes them a target they will die out. You will always have to make farms to maintain the numbers.

[@holdthatkaka]

the white guy looks uncomfortable