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Title: Soft Shelled Cicadas
Categories: Game
Yield: 4 Servings

60 Freshly emerged 17 year
- cicadas
4 Eggs; beaten
3 c Flour
Salt and pepper; to season
1 c Corn oil or
- slightly salted butter

The 17 year cicada is considered a delicacy by nearly every living
creature and when emerging, by the millions, stuff every animal for
miles. Birds have trouble getting off the ground. Foxes waddle.
Garter snakes are lumpy. Dogs and cats curl up and sleep all day. In
former times, the Native Americans found them to be a worthy addition
to their diets when available.

The cicadas emerge at night and hang like snow white Christmas
ornaments from the trees. As they dry, their color darkens to a black
with orange decorative stripes. They are at their finest at night
when they just emerge and are still soft. They make great campfire
cooking fare. For those who are interested, they are kosher!

The best way to prepare them is to dip them, still alive, in beaten
egg, roll them in the seasoned flour and then gently saute them until
they are golden brown. They have a wonderful rich nutty flavor.
Preparing them is simplicity itself. Sixty cicadas provide an
appetizer for four.

To find a supply of cicadas, call or write a local college or
university department of entomology. They can supply information as
to which brood will be emerging in your area or near your area. They
may be able to supply a general map and even specific dates when the
emergence will occur. Here, in Indiana, we will have to wait until
about Memorial Day weekend, 2002 AD. So you see, this is not a treat
that you can just go out and pick up at Krogers. It is worth the
wait, even if it is just to say that you have done it!

Recipe by John Hartman

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