cicadalicious!

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keeping up with st. blog's recent ick factor, i present to you the new low-fat, high-pro, no carb diet.

10 Comments

Nope. Not eatin' a bug. Not unless the Union Army comes through again and burns up every single other thing to eat. Nope.

Why doesn't it surprise me that Dr. Kritsky was the one to comment on the nutritious benefits of cicadas? LOL! My husband was in one of his college classes at the Mount and told me he's a bit "different." Believe it or not, our Cincinnati Museum Center will be having "sample food items with insects as an ingredient" at their Bugfest next month. I like to think of myself as one who thinks outside the box, but I definitely draw the line here. I'm w/you MamaT, I won't be eatin' a bug unless there is nothing else around!

did you notice the article is written by a guy named john roach? apropos, non?

I was all prepared to rant and rave and post recipes for pasta cooked with cream and pancetta, thinking that this was about some new neo-Puritan diet fad, but then saw that it was about eating insects.

Now, that is something else entirely. I have been fascinated by culinary entymology for years. Parts of West Africa see a plague of locusts as a windfall. They roast 'em up and salt them and feast away. Since the locusts hit after the yams have already developed underground, the locusts just serve to dish up some extra free protein.

Also, did you know that grasshoppers and crickets are kosher? Read the dietary guidelines in Leviticus. It tells you which insects you may eat and which you may not eat.

Since, if I am going to be eating insects, it is going to be with some pancetta, the whole Kosher thing doesn't resonate that much. Thank you Pope St. Pete!

Anyway, this whole thing is making me think that this winter when I have my variety meats festival, I may have to have and insect course. Thank you for making me think of this! I will definitely post recipes as I experiment.

-Erik "Renfield" Keilholtz

with all due respect, mr. keilhotz...eeeEEEWWW!

Aw, come on. You eat snails, don't you? Or crawdads? Or shrimp? They are all creepy crawlies. When it comes down to it locusts and grasshoppers have cleaner diets than shrimp or crabs or any of those other delectables from the deep.

I have been thinking about this, and I think I might try a marinade or rub on grasshoppers, then wrap them in pancetta and fig leaves and roast them over a hard-wood fire. Maybe serve them with chevre. I bet that the folks who try them will come back for seconds.

actually, mr. keilholtz, i don't eat any of those things. the only thing with eyes i'll eat is meat n' chicken.

Alright, here is the deal. I made it on a cicada related Moss Place post, and will repeat it here. I am keen to try cicadas. If any of you send a box of the critters my way I will experiment and post the results. I will also send some non-insectoid goodies back in turn (California wine, almonds, etc.). I really want to cook cicada. My curiosity is turning to obsession (sort of like my quest to find good lardo in America - it paid off. My local supplier of top quality pork now offers lardo).

mr. keilholtz...is it legal to mail insects into california? i bet the "no insect" militia would be all over me like a duck on a junebug! does it count if their dead?

Smockmomma,

You know, you probably are on to something there. I am sure that live insects being mailed to agriculturally rich California is probably considered terrorism. If you don't mind freezing them, I imagine that that would be OK. If you did that for me, not only would I send some mucho good California wines, but I would owe you one amazing (bug-free) dinner or two.

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This page contains a single entry by smockmomma published on May 12, 2004 9:36 AM.

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