The Other White Meat

The 17-year cicada emergence is reaching its peak across much of the northeastern U.S. For folks who live where this year's cicadas have appeared, the sound of their choruses can be deafening. Dead cicada adults fall from the trees, with carcasses piled several inches high in some places. According to Dr. Gene Kritsky, Professor of Biology at the College of Mount St. Joseph:

Photo: © Scott Olson/Getty Images

Periodical cicadas are best eaten when they are still white, and they taste like cold canned asparagus. Like all insects, cicadas have a good balance of vitamins, are low in fat, and, especially the females, are high in protein.

So if you happen upon some newly emerged cicadas, try one! You just might like them.

Great sites for learning more about periodical cicadas:

• Magicicada.org
• Cicadamania
• The Mount's Cicada Site (College of Mount St. Joseph)