Chef Bun Lai prepares to make deep-fried cicada sushi at Fort Totten Park, Washington, USA. Photo: AFP Cooking cicadas is becoming fashionable in the US this summer, when billions of cicadas like Brood X have just emerged from the ground after 17 years of cyclical “hiding”. US authorities have warned curious people to think twice before eating this dish. On Twitter, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned: “Do not eat cicadas if you are allergic to seafood, because this insect is related to shrimp and shrimp. lobster”. The warning comes as people are sharing millions of recipes for ticks. At a park in Washington, people flocked to catch ticks after tasting deep-fried cicada sushi prepared by the hands of Bun Lai, a chef who supports the sustainable food movement. Cyclically, this year comes a time when billions of ticks have lived underground since 2004, when they were still larvae, swarm to the surface, molt, find a mate, lay eggs and die. The chirping sound of ticks is the male’s way of attracting females. Swarms of these fuzzy-winged red-eyed insects have appeared in US states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee. This year, the ticks appeared unevenly and later than usual due to cold weather conditions and heavy rain in some places. However, that does not reduce the love of enjoying dishes made from ticks.

Chef Bun Lai’s cicada sushi invites Washingtonians to enjoy it for free on May 23. Photo: AP Accordingly, the number of cicada species “Brood X” has emerged from the ground for the first time since last weekend after 17 years hidden deep underground. The largest population of cicadas is believed to be in the eastern states of the United States such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee. With this in mind, a chef in Washington DC took the initiative to “take advantage” of this rare insect invasion as an opportunity to show off his talent for processing cicadas into a new dish. Hong Kong-born American chef Bun Lai said his actions fit an aspect of food ethics. Accordingly, chef Bun Lai, a supporter of the sustainable food movement, invited locals to go catch cicadas in city parks, then prepare and invite them to enjoy fried cicada sushi made by himself. he created. This chef also teaches people how to catch, prepare and prepare dishes from cicadas as a way to talk about alternative food sources. Fried cicadas and wrapped with rice with vegetables. Photo: AFP “In a world where humanity is suffering from a multitude of diet-related diseases – we will have to take a revolutionary approach to eating habits,” said Bun Lai. On his personal tweeter, the chef constantly “invited” Americans to go hunting cicadas and enjoy free dishes from this “nearly 20 years old” insect. Stella Roque, a 36-year-old local resident who grew up with a fear of all insects, said she wasn’t too eager at first but took the opportunity to overcome her phobia. “I came here today because of Bun Lai’s invitation to try cicadas over the fire, and I thought it would be an interesting experience. I decided to join the event because I had previously heard about the mysterious day of the cicada “Brood X” occurring in the area.” Chef Bun Lai and local people catch cicadas that have just escaped their bodies to be processed into dishes. Photo: AFP Magazine The Washingtonian In the end, she’s not alone in trying out some of the macabre dishes, and hopes cicadas will become a staple on restaurant menus. Responding to the press, chef Bun Lai happily warned not to let cicadas become “food for gourmets”, for fear that they would be “slaughtered” for food like humans did. with so many species that we’ve been obsessed with. Under the guidance of chef Bun Lai, the harvested cicadas are washed and salted before being fried in a pan and turned into sushi along with rice and vegetables. This cicada dish is gluten-free, high in protein, low in fat and macronutrients (carbs), the chef says. After enjoying the cicada sushi, Ms. Stella Roque said: ‘I was expecting the worst, but then I was “pleasantly surprised” by how delicious it was. An American citizen enjoys cicadas cooked into sushi at Fort Totten Park in Washington DC on May 23, 2021. Photo: AFP Brood X cicadas are creatures that spend 17 years living underground, unlike other breeds with a life cycle of 13 years. They suck the sap of tree roots for food but do not harm people, except make noise. In their 17th year they will emerge from the ground in billions, if not more. According to entomologist Michael Raupp, cicadas have come to the surface earlier in recent years because of climate change. In the pre-1950s, they usually appeared at the end of May, but now they appear a few weeks earlier.

Ms. Tran Thuy, an account specializing in selling cicada nymphs in Hanoi, said this year the price of cicada nymphs has decreased compared to last year. “In 2020, there is a time when the price of cicadas up to 450,000-500,000 VND / kg, still not enough to sell, but this year the price of this item tends to be cheaper,” she said. According to her, from the end of April to the beginning of May, the cicadas are in the infancy stage and have not yet grown wings. “At this time, the nymphs are fat, soft, and fragrant,” Thuy said. In recent years, cicadas pupae have become a special specialty for many people as well as restaurants and pubs. Photo: Ha Tran. This dealer said that cicada nymphs each time in the season are very attractive to buyers, especially drinkers. “Many people buy a kilo to try and then order another 2.3 kg,” she said, saying that at the beginning of the season, the price is quite high, in the middle and the end of the season, the price will cool down. At her shop, type 1 vacuum cicadas pupae cost 400,000 VND / kg, type 2 costs 300,000 VND / kg. Explaining the reason why cicadas nymphs are quite expensive, she said: “Because the process of hunting cicadas is very complicated and takes a lot of time during the night, sometimes it takes to go all night to hunt one kg of nymphs, so there is a price. high”. Similarly, Ms. Bui Vinh (Dong Phu, Binh Phuoc) said that cicada nymphs at the beginning of the season have just molted, the cicada’s body is still very young and newly emerging wings are difficult to catch, so they are rare and high priced. “In the past, people mainly collected nymphs to eat, but gradually the market demand was increasing so they started to pupate them for sale,” she said. Ms. Vinh said that the cicadas that came from the ground up and clung to the tree trunk after 5-7 minutes will molt, then I just need to light the lamp and catch. After getting soaked in salt water for 20-30 minutes, then remove the wings, cover with boiling water once and rinse. “Every season, my neighbors and I go together to catch nymphs and sell to earn extra income. Just a flashlight and a bucket of clean water diluted with salt can go hunting nymphs,” she said. Currently a kg of cicada nymphs she sells wholesale prices ranging from 190,000 to 250,000 VND / kg, depending on the type and time. “Customers, pubs often have to pre-order to have products. Many days, I cannot sell enough goods,” said the trader. Cicada nymphs do quite a lot of delicious dishes that are loved by many people. Photo: Chu Hanh. Roasted cicada pupa with lemon leaves is a favorite dish every summer for many people drinking. “During a drink, I was introduced to this dish by a friend, so I became addicted since then, every year to season, I find people to order”, Mr. Dung (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi) shared. “One kg of young mite pupae is quite a lot, I buy 2.3 kg ready to divide into small bags for the refrigerator to eat gradually, each bag about 200-250 grams of processing up to be filled with a plate,” he said. Although it is a strange product sought by many drinkers, users should be careful when choosing, preliminarily processing and processing cicadas nymphs to avoid harm to their health. Before that, in May 2019 in Quang Ninh, a man was hospitalized with anaphylactic shock after drinking alcohol and eating cicadas. Doctors diagnose the patient with degree III anaphylaxis due to eating cicadas, emergency treatment according to anaphylactic shock regimen. Notably, a man in Binh Phuoc died from eating young cicadas in May 2014. According to some experts, cicada nymphs live in the soil environment, so there is a high risk of infection and parasitic fungus. In particular, some poisonous mushrooms are dangerous to users. Therefore, people should use caution.