Chocolate Covered Cicadas Selling Fast in Maryland, Are These Edible and Safe for Consumption?

In 2009, Saray Dwyer was a 38-year-old woman working in the finance industry. Stuck in the mundane loop of a 9 to 5 work, she scrapped her life plans and moved to Paris. There, Sarah discovered a unique desert that, little did she know, would be swarmed by chocolate enthusiasts.

Cicada Summer Tour 2021

After discovering her passion for sweets in the city of love, Sarah opened a bakery of her own in Maryland, where locals couldn't help but stop by. With the effects of health restrictions and the pandemic, Sarah and her team decided that they could put the spark back in their step if they sold a specific desert that would intrigue the masses.

In May 2021, as things began to slow down, Sarah thought of creating cicada-themed chocolates in unison with the loud cicada concerts happening across the country. A local reporter that featured numerous cicada stories advised her that instead of designing chocolate cicadas, why not just create chocolate-covered cicadas as she wrote in Newsweek.

After numerous experiments, Sarah discovered that the best way to prepare a delicious cicada was to use an air fryer- this year's most popular kitchen appliance. Sarah's team began the process by freezing freshly caught bugs as a humane way of ending their life. She dips them in boiling hot water to sanitize and clean the cicadas off before plotting them in the air fryer. After the quick process, cicadas are now ready to be dipped in chocolate.

According to Sarah, who tasted some uncoated cicadas while constructing the recipe, the air-fried cicadas had a wafer-like texture with a nutty after-taste. The wings, however, are akin to popcorn with their crunch texture. It was quite a treat.

What started off as a joke ended up as a good boost for Sarah Dwyer's Maryland bakery that has been receiving numerous online orders for their unique chocolate-covered cicadas.

Are Cicadas Safe for Human Consumption?

According to ABC Chicago, cicadas used to be a staple food source to Native Americans, with some, in various countries still consuming cicadas. Although nutritionists haven't done a full breakdown on cicadas' nutritional composition, experts say they are roughly the same as most insects. As cicadas are low in calories, gluten-free, and chock full of protein, David George Gordon, renowned as the Bug Chef, advises that cicadas can be added to some of your favorite meals.

He says that the high-protein insects could be stir-fried, mixed into dough for bread, or drenched in your favorite batter and deep-fried.

Meanwhile, Jessica Fanzo, the director of Johns Hopkins' Global Food Ethics and Policy Program with a Ph.D. in nutrition, says to Forbes that the trillions of cicadas emerging from their brood this year could be a sustainable alternate source of protein for many. She adds that insects, such as the cicadas making a ruckus in almost every state, are more sustainable than larger protein sources such as cows and pork.

Gordon explains that when eating adult cicadas, due to their tough exterior, it's best to pull off the insect's legs and wings before preparing them for your favorite recipe. Likewise, Gordon advises that home cooks gather nymph cicadas before the insects begin to develop hardened armors,