Too bad Creature Feature was last year’s Summer Reading theme May 23, 2007

One book I always take booktalking is Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio.  And I now have more facts to talk about, thanks to this National Geographic news article. 

Cicadas spend most of their lives underground sucking sap from tree roots. The plant-based diet gives them a green, asparagus-like flavor, especially when eaten raw or boiled, according to Kritsky.

For those interested in collecting and preparing cicadas on their own,

The insects are best eaten just after the nymphs break open their skins but before their exoskeletons turn black and hard, cicada aficionados say. These newly hatched cicadas are called tenerals.

Jadin said they are best collected in the early morning hours, just after the insects emerge from the ground but before they crawl up trees, where they are harder to reach.

If tenerals are unavailable, the next best menu item is adult females-their bellies are fat and full of nutritious eggs.

So says this article by John Roach (now there’s a fitting name for the author of an article about bugs), “Cicadas as Food: Summer’s Low-Fat Snack?”