Eat bugs, save the planet: Developing appealing cicada recipes to introduce the public to entomophagy

Entomophagy (insect eating) is practiced in 130 countries, with at least 1900 species of edible insects to choose from. Insects present great feed conversion efficiency when compared to other animals, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide many essential nutrients for humans and livestock. They also help combat food insecurity in low-income countries when other protein sources are unavailable. Throughout much of the Western world, people associate insects with dirt and disease, although these attitudes will need to shift as food inputs become more costly to the environment and populations continue growing. The 2021 Brood X periodical cicada emergence across the eastern United States, especially in Princeton, New Jersey, provided an abundant (though temporary) source of edible insects, and so these cicadas were prepared in a variety of recipes at two insect-eating events that attracted substantial media attention. As hypothesized, much of the reaction through public comments was negative (93%), although a substantial portion of the minority did express a willingness to try insects for the first time. Among attendees (n=18) of the socially-distanced, in-person tasting, many reported preferences for recipes suggest that periodical cicadas disguised as familiar foods make consumers more likely to try them, with a strong masking ingredient being important to disguise the flavor of the insect. These preliminary findings indicate that the presence/absence of recognizable insects in recipes isn't the only important factor for introducing the general public to entomophagy, as taste and flavors play just as important of a role.