Brave enough to bite into a bug? Here's a look at how, why you would eat cicadas

Cicadas began sprouting out of the ground in full-force about a month ago, and since then, they have made their presence known across the nation, including Georgia.

Cicada Safari, a mobile app for users to track and report cicada sightings, has reported more than 2,000 sightings throughout the state. But Georgians aren't alone as this is part of the simultaneous, double-brood emergence with cicadas popping up in Arkansas, the Carolinas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia.

While some see these noisy, ugly bugs as a nuisance, others see a treat. Here's a closer look at how and why people are eating cicadas:

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Is it safe to eat cicadas?

University of Georgia Entymology Professor Nancy Hinkle said it is safe to eat cicadas as long as you are not allergic to insects. People allergic to shrimp may also want to proceed cautiously because the exoskeleton of insects has similarities to shrimp shells. UGA Extension agent Campbell Vaughn added that you should remove the wings and legs.

What do cicadas taste like?

The flavor of cicadas varies from person-to-person. Vaughn ate some during a segment of CBS News, during which one of the hosts said they taste like potato chips. Hinkle said it depends mostly on what kind of sauce they're cooked in. The outside is crunchy and cicadas typically are quite oily inside, giving them a smooth richness.

Are there cicada recipes?

Vaughn had some fried cicadas dipped in hot sauce on CBS. He said afterwards that those interested probably want to Google some better recipes because what he tried didn't taste very good.

The Washington Post has a "Spicy Popcorn Cicadas" recipe involving freezing cicadas for hours, covering them in Worcestershire sauce and various spices, covering in a flour mixture then frying them.

Grilling 24x7 has a similar Tempura-style recipe that pairs the cicadas well with a sriracha aioli.

CBS News has a "Cicada Cookies" recipe involving dry roasting the cicadas, brushing them with a mix of egg whites and sugar, then placing them on chocolate cookie dough before baking them.

Why are people eating cicadas?

There are a range of reasons why people are eating cicadas. For one thing, it's a rare novelty that will only be available for the next month or so. Once the cicadas disappear, they won't reappear for more than 10 years, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. It also has a lot of protein, according to Vaughn.

But there are also some practical reasons for not throwing out this idea. Joseph Yoon is a chef and founder of Brooklyn Bugs, a group of edible insect ambassadors, who has recently appeared on multiple news outlets explaining how cicadas present a possible eco-friendly solution to food insecurity.

"How are we going to sustainably feed the world's population in 2050?" he asked on NPR. "It takes far less resources by way of the amount of water, the feed, the land. And it creates far less greenhouse gas emissions than the counterpart livestock that we're traditionally using today."

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Eating cicadas in Georgia: Recipes, safety tips, environmental pros