Princeton, New Jersey, is currently dealing with Brood X invasion. For those unaware, Brood X or The Great Eastern Brood is of the largest of the 15 broods of periodical cicadas that emerge every 17 years throughout the eastern United States. The cicadas are expected to emerge in more than a dozen states on the eastern side of the country. And for some high schoolers, they are proving to be a delicious snack.
After emerging from the ground, the cicadas climb up the nearest vertical surface, shed their exoskeletons, and inflate their wings. After a few days of resting and waiting for their shells to harden, the mating begins. This is the phase in which the males emit their mating calls and the high-pitched buzz is heard.
This mass mating lasts at least 3 to 4 weeks. Soon after, the newly hatched nymphs crawl to the edge of the tree branches where the females laid their eggs, drop to the ground, and burrow in for the next 17 years. And thus, the cycle continues.
A group of students at Princeton High School has been eagerly waiting for the cicada's arrival. The excitement among these kids is so much that they've even formed an insect-eating club in the school. Formed in 2020, the club has around 50 members, although only four to five active members usually attend the weekly meetings. Club members host tasting events, as well as bug-raising projects. Check out this video of them serving cicada tacos.
There are other 'delicacies' offered by the club as well, like Salted Roast Cicadas, Cicada Stir-Fry, Deep Fried Soft Shell Cicadas, Cicada banana bread with nuts, and Chocolate Chip Cicada Cookies. But not everyone was pleased. Here are a few reactions to the viral video.
Matthew Livingston, a member of the school's insect-eating club, says, "I think that cicadas are a great example of one way we can use insects all around us as ways to build support for new proteins and new food sources."
Technically, he is not wrong. Cicadas are a complete source of protein containing all the essential amino acids, and humans have been consuming insects for thousands of years. An estimated 2 billion people worldwide consume bugs and insects on a regular basis. This practice may be unheard of in the west but is quite common in cultures of Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. 80 percent of the Worlds nations eat insects.
Insect-eating seems to be the latest craze among millennials these days. Vegans and meat-eaters may not agree on much, but one thing they do agree on is that bug eaters are gross. Scientists have argued that consuming insects can save the planet. Many companies are trying to introduce edible insect-based products to western societies. Don't be surprised if you see insect flour, oils, bug burgers, fried crickets, milk made from fly larvae on your supermarket shelf. Insects being a protein-rich superfood is an added benefit.
Maja Janas from Princeton high school refers to eating insects as "a humane way to get protein. The way we eat these cicadas is we catch them and then we freeze them. It doesn't harm them at all. It's really just like anesthesia or taking a nap."
But the question arises Are cicadas safe to eat? The FDA recently posted on Twitter "We have to say it! Don't eat cicadas if you're allergic to seafood as these insects share a family relation to shrimp and lobsters."
Food Agricultural Organization of the United Nations has also weighed in "Food safety risks can be higher when insects are harvested from the wild and consumed raw," So, if you are planning on consuming any of these red-eyed bugs, make sure to refrigerate them for a while and then eat them cooked or roasted or not at all it's up to you.