The constant buzz about cicada cuisine is bizarre. A lot of the people shilling things such as cicada linguini are the sorts you would never take life advice from: journalists and tech billionaires.
These are the same characters who will write thousands of words explaining how not divesting from meat will bring about the apocalypse or who fund white papers saying that we’re all going to own nothing (and be happy about it!) in 10 years.
But maybe, like the first 16 years and 9 months of Brood X cicadas’ lives, there’s something interesting going on under the surface here.
After all, Tucker Carlson, hardly a left-wing globalist, joyfully choked down a cicada cake on prime-time television a couple of weeks back. If we ignore the people selling it as some environmentalist salvation, some secular sacrament, or some great equalizer, eating bugs can be fun.
Insects are not (necessarily) a component of some plot backed by George Soros to destroy Western civilization. At worst, they’re a novelty gag food one could employ to mess with squeamish friends, and at best, they’re a nutritious, resource-efficient dietary option for those willing to eat them. Option is the keyword here. Insects will not, and should not, replace meat as our primary source of protein. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a kook.
That said, why don’t we eat bugs more often? Crustaceans are closely related to insects, and we love eating them, so what’s the holdup?
Bugs are gross, and shrimp go well with cocktail sauce, one might answer. Shrimp does taste good. There’s no denying that. But have you ever had chili-lime roasted grasshoppers? Or some fried mealworms coated in Dorito dust?
Many insects actually have no distinct taste, serving more as a vessel for whatever flavoring you decide to throw on them. What really makes bugs shine is their texture. Imagine a cross between jerky and potato chips, and you’ll have a rough idea of what it feels like to chew on a grasshopper. Mealworms, meanwhile, have the sort of crunch that’s indistinguishable from any other fried snack food.
Crickets rival beef in terms of protein density and are low in carbs to boot, making the little guys an ideal snack for the health-conscious consumer.
We love eating aquatic arthropods; why not give their terrestrial brethren a go? Or are you a vegan?
