As the nation prepares for trillions of red-eyed bugs known as periodical to emerge, itB次元官网网址檚 worth noting that theyB次元官网网址檙e not just annoying, noisy pests B次元官网网址� if prepared properly, they can also be tasty to eat.

Blocks away from such French Quarter fine-dining stalwarts as AntoineB次元官网网址檚 and BrennanB次元官网网址檚, the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans has long served up an array of alternative, insect-based treats at its B次元官网网址淏ug AppetitB次元官网网址� cafe overlooking the Mississippi River. B次元官网网址淐innamon Bug Crunch,B次元官网网址� chili-fried waxworms, and crispy, cajun-spiced crickets are among the menu items.

stay buried for years, until they surface and take over a landscape. Depending on the variety, the emergence happens every 13 or 17 years. This year two groups are expected to emerge soon, averaging around 1 million per acre over hundreds of millions of acres across parts of 16 states in the Midwest and South.

They emerge when the ground warms to 64 degrees (17.8 degrees Celsius), which is happening earlier than it used to because of , entomologists said. The bugs are brown at first but darken as they mature.

Recently, Zack Lemann, the InsectariumB次元官网网址檚 curator of animal collections, has been working up cicada dishes that may become part of the menu. He donned a chefB次元官网网址檚 smock this week to show a couple of them off, including a green salad with apple, almonds, blueberry vinaigrette B次元官网网址� and roasted cicadas. Fried cicada nymphs were dressed on top with a warm mixture of creole mustard and soy sauce.

B次元官网网址淚 do dragonflies in a similar manner,B次元官网网址� Lemann said as he used tweezers to plop nymphs into a container of flour before cooking them in hot oil.

Depending on the type and the way they are prepared, cooked cicadas taste similar to toasted seeds or nuts. The Insectarium isnB次元官网网址檛 the first to promote the idea of eating them. Over the years, they have appeared on a smattering of menus and in cookbooks, including titles like B次元官网网址淐icada-LiciousB次元官网网址� from the University of Maryland in 2004.

B次元官网网址淓very culture has things that they love to eat and, maybe, things that are taboo or things that people just sort of, wrinkle their nose and frown their brow at,B次元官网网址� Lemann said. B次元官网网址淎nd thereB次元官网网址檚 no reason to do that with insects when you look at the nutritional value, their quality on the plate, how they taste, the environmental benefits of harvesting insects instead of dealing with livestock.B次元官网网址�

Lemann has been working to make sure the Bug Appetit cafe has legal clearance to serve wild-caught cicadas while he works on lining up sources for the bugs. He expects this springB次元官网网址檚 unusual emergence of two huge broods of cicadas to heighten interest in insects in general, and in the Insectarium B次元官网网址� even though the affected area doesnB次元官网网址檛 include southeast Louisiana.

B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 imagine, given the fact that periodical cicadas are national news, that we wonB次元官网网址檛 have guests both local and from outside New Orleans, asking us about that,B次元官网网址� said Lemann. B次元官网网址淲hich is another reason I hope to have enough to serve it at least a few times to people.B次元官网网址�