Topline
Billions of Brood X cicadas have emerged in the United States after over a decade underground, causing gourmands to draw up recipes and prepare for a once-every-17-years culinary opportunity — but the Food and Drug Administration says people who are allergic to seafood should cut cicadas out of their diets because they’re too similar to shellfish.
Members of the Brood X cluster on a plant at Fairland Recreational Park in Maryland on Tuesday.
Key Facts
In a Wednesday afternoon tweet, the FDA warned people with seafood allergies against eating cicadas, but the regulator didn’t offer any advice to the general public.
Cicadas pose a risk because they’re closely related to crustaceans like shrimp and lobster: Insects and crustaceans are both arthropods, and researchers say they probably shared a common ocean-dwelling ancestor millions of years ago.
Crucial Quote
“Yep! We have to say it!,” the FDA tweeted Wednesday.
Key Background
Last month, Brood X cicadas ended 17 years of hibernation and began emerging across the eastern United States to quickly mate, lay eggs, die off and then disappear until the next generation restarts the cycle in 2038. These insects are harmless to humans and — according to some chefs — they’re tasty, healthy, short on carbs and packed with protein. Cicadas and other insects are part of many countries’ culinary scenes, and some U.S. chefs have cooked with cicadas for years, but in recent weeks, Brood X’s emergence has boosted some Americans’ interest in bug-based cuisine. The Washington Post encouraged its readers to try making fried, spicy popcorn cicadas, candy shops in Maryland and Ohio are offering up chocolate-covered cicadas, and a restaurant in Connecticut serves raw cicadas in miso soup.
What To Watch For
Some environmental advocates say insects could eventually serve as alternatives to meat. Insect protein is nutritious, and farming bugs requires far less land and fewer greenhouse gas emissions than farming beef.
Further Reading
The Cicadas Are Here. For the Chef Bun Lai, They’re on the Menu. (New York Times)
Freaked by cicada swarms? You could just stick a fork in ’em (Associated Press)
The Green Argument For Eating Cicadas (Plus A Few Recipes) (NPR)
