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Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

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  • #1

    Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

    During the living history event this past weekend at Old World Wisconsin, we found several cicadas in our midst which prompted Mr. James Schumann (Mess 3) to inquire as to whether cicadas tasted like minty shrimp when cooked.

    Two live cicadas were captured and promptly placed in a fry pan with butter and cooked to the satisfaction of all. They were brought to the dining table where Schumann and Mr. Daniel Chmelar (Ol' Sipley Mess) were awaiting their dining experience.

    Each man impaled the bug of his choice on a fork and prepared to begin the experiment. They placed the fried cicadas in their mouths at the same time and began chewing. The initial response was that the legs were chewy, but no comment was offered about the texture of the meaty portion of the bug. Both men continued to chew until both cicadas were completely consumed.

    To the dismay of Mr. Schumann, the only flavor he could extract from this experience was that of the butter the bugs were fried in. Nonetheless, the experiment did attract a considerable amount of spectators and, for some, invoked their gag reflex.

    The next morning, Mr. Schumann repeated the experiment, dissatisfied with the results of the previous attempt. This time, he boiled the bug in water so as not to corrupt the natural flavor of the insect. Judging by the expression on his face after placing the cooked bug into his mouth, the answer to his question was finally revealed.

    Cicadas DO NOT taste like minty shrimp when cooked. Mr. Schumann commented that he would not repeat this experiment in the future.

    http://oldnorthwestvols.org/cicadas/IMG_3395.jpg

    http://oldnorthwestvols.org/cicadas/IMG_3403.jpg

    http://oldnorthwestvols.org/cicadas/IMG_3406.jpg

    http://oldnorthwestvols.org/cicadas/IMG_3409.jpg

    http://oldnorthwestvols.org/cicadas/IMG_3411.jpg

    http://oldnorthwestvols.org/cicadas/IMG_3415.jpg

    http://oldnorthwestvols.org/cicadas/IMG_3418.jpg

    http://oldnorthwestvols.org/cicadas/IMG_3423.jpg
    With kind regards,

    [B][SIZE=3]David Frohmader[/SIZE][/B]
    -[URL="http://www.oldsipley.3rdwisconsin.org/index.php"]Ol' Sipley Mess[/URL]
    -[URL="http://oldnorthwestvols.org/onv/index.php"]Old Northwest Volunteers[/URL]

    [I][SIZE=1]“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” — Abraham Lincoln[/SIZE][/I]
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  • #2
    Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

    Note: Cicadas contain the same chemicals as shell fish...so, if you are alergic to shell fish do not eat cicadas.
    [FONT=Book Antiqua]Justin Runyon[/FONT][FONT=Book Antiqua]; Pumpkin Patch Mess: [/FONT][FONT=Book Antiqua]WIG-GHTI[/FONT]
    [FONT=Book Antiqua]Organization of American Historians[/FONT]
    [FONT=Book Antiqua]Company of Military Historians[/FONT]
    [FONT=Book Antiqua]CWPT, W.M., Terre Haute #19[/FONT][FONT=Book Antiqua] F&AM[/FONT]
    [FONT=Book Antiqua]Terre Haute Chapter 11 RAM[/FONT]

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    • #3
      Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

      Hallo!

      Maybe after 17 years they lose something.
      :)

      Curt
      Doesn't Taste Just Like Chicken Mess
      Curt Schmidt
      In gleichem Schritt und Tritt, Curt Schmidt

      -Hard and sharp as flint...secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.
      -Haplogroup R1b M343 (Subclade R1b1a2 M269)
      -Pointless Folksy Wisdom Mess, Oblio Lodge #1
      -Vastly Ignorant
      -Often incorrect, technically, historically, factually.

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      • #4
        Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

        :DYou have to catch them just as they emerge from their pupa shells when they are jucy tender and minty fresh. Once the bug is exposed to air and hardens up they are just like blue crabs. They have to be steamed with vineger and pepper. After they are cooked you can throw them away.
        Jim Mayo
        Portsmouth Rifles, Company G, 9th Va. Inf.

        CW Show and Tell Site
        http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/j_mayo/index.html

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        • #5
          Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

          Hi,

          I do not think I will be eating cicadas any time soon!!!!!!!!:sick::D
          Andrew Kasmar

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          • #6
            Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

            "Maybe after 17 years they lose something."


            AAh, see, there's the problem. These may have been annual cicadas. There are several varieties that emerge at different periods. There are some that emerge annually. I'll bet that's the problem. They got hold of a couple of those 'trash' cicadas and not the gourmet ones. In my opinion they should repeat the experiment over the next few years, taking detailed notes to establish a database for the rest of us so we are guaranteed of eating only the best cicadas.
            Michael Comer
            one of the moderator guys

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            • #7
              Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

              Originally posted by huntdaw View Post
              "Maybe after 17 years they lose something."


              AAh, see, there's the problem. These may have been annual cicadas. There are several varieties that emerge at different periods. There are some that emerge annually. I'll bet that's the problem. They got hold of a couple of those 'trash' cicadas and not the gourmet ones. In my opinion they should repeat the experiment over the next few years, taking detailed notes to establish a database for the rest of us so we are guaranteed of eating only the best cicadas.
              Bolded the key part. Yep, definitely need more research before I will join them in culinary delicacies such as this.

              And as to preparation, I do believe fried and candied are the only ways I have consumed various bugs, not counting tequila worms...

              I feel, only larvae, diced worms and other "squishy" textured creatures can be boiled and made into a stew worth eating.

              Ron
              Cast-Iron bellied mess
              Ron Mueller
              Illinois
              New Madrid Guards

              "How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg?
              Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."
              Abraham Lincoln

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              • #8
                Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

                Cicada - The other white meat
                Cliff Kelley

                "If I had a thousand lives, I would give them all rather than betray my friends or be false to my duty" - Pvt. Sam Davis Nov. 27, 1863

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                • #9
                  Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

                  At this time, I'd like to point out that I did not cook at this event.

                  As an ironic twist, Maryland, a state lacking in any and all public utilities, sawmills, lumber yards, hardware stores, auto parts stores, normal groceries, and far removed from any source of seafood, is the US center for Cicada consumption. Maybe that isn't all that surprising considering the Third World nature of the place, but these folks give a bit more information about Cicada preparation:

                  People Live on Bugs and Grubs Here

                  People still complain about ham with a few wiggly friends moving about, and that was over six years ago. Geez.
                  [B]Charles Heath[/B]
                  [EMAIL="heath9999@aol.com"]heath9999@aol.com[/EMAIL]

                  [URL="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spanglers_Spring_Living_History/"]12 - 14 Jun 09 Hoosiers at Gettysburg[/URL]

                  [EMAIL="heath9999@aol.com"]17-19 Jul 09 Mumford/GCV Carpe Eventum [/EMAIL]

                  [EMAIL="beatlefans1@verizon.net"]31 Jul - 2 Aug 09 Texans at Gettysburg [/EMAIL]

                  [EMAIL="JDO@npmhu.org"] 11-13 Sep 09 Fortress Monroe [/EMAIL]

                  [URL="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Elmira_Death_March/?yguid=25647636"]2-4 Oct 09 Death March XI - Corduroy[/URL]

                  [EMAIL="oldsoldier51@yahoo.com"] G'burg Memorial March [/EMAIL]

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                  • #10
                    Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

                    Wow, I wanted to come to the OWW event, as it is 15 minutes from my house, but was on vacation. So now I know they don't taste like minty shrimp. Have you ever tried locusts?
                    David Vander Pluym

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                    • #11
                      Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

                      In my defense, Schumann came up with the idea and I was challenged to consume one with him. Not being one to back down from a challenge, I figured it couldnt be too bad. The legs did taste a little twiggy though!!
                      Dan Chmelar
                      Semper Fi
                      -ONV
                      -WIG
                      -CIR!

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

                        So they taste mostly like butter?
                        Cliff Kelley

                        "If I had a thousand lives, I would give them all rather than betray my friends or be false to my duty" - Pvt. Sam Davis Nov. 27, 1863

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

                          Hello to all,

                          Dan has now eaten oysters and sardines and cicadas on a dare, and will probably never
                          sample any of these again. But he did it. A brave man.

                          As to tasting like butter, when cooked in butter, they taste like butter. Hence the cooking
                          the next morning in just a little water.

                          Must not have been fresh enough, or the right year/vintage for cicada, but I did not get
                          the minty shrimp taste. Very chewy, not bad, but not something I will go out of my way
                          for. I may have to try it again someday.

                          I wonder how it compares to the rat roasted at Vicksburg . . . wish I could have tried those!
                          Looked horrible, probably tasted like chicken! A nasty, skinny, nightmare chicken . . .!

                          Hope to see every one at Marmadukes!

                          I remain your messmate and comrade, James C. Schumann
                          Your most obedient servant and comrade,
                          James C. Schumann
                          Mess #3
                          Old Northwest Volunteers

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                          • #14
                            Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

                            And out of the cicadas, oysters, and sardines, I would rank the fryed cicadas above the oysters and sardines!!!
                            Dan Chmelar
                            Semper Fi
                            -ONV
                            -WIG
                            -CIR!

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Do cicadas taste like minty shrimp?

                              Mmm...minty fresh cicadas. I may have to feed one to my cat-it's breath smells worse than three day old tuna sandwiches.
                              Santiago Luis Montalvo
                              Unaffiliated (on college leave)
                              [email]cwsoldier6165@yahoo.com[/email]

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