If you ’re supersensitized to seafood and about to chow down on some risque cicadas then please put that damn hemipteran down . The US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) felt compelled to recommend snack - curious Americans this week to be mindful about apply thefleetingly abundantfood source , owe to the fact that cicada are relate to shrimp and therefore likely to touch off an unpleasant chemical reaction in people with seafood allergies .
" We have to say it , " tweeted theFDA . " Do n’t eat up # cicadas if you ’re supersensitized to seafood as these louse deal a sept relative to shrimp and lobsters . "
When it comes to shellfish , crustaceans are the common suspects for trigger an sensitised reaction . A chemical reaction can gift with anything from regurgitation and diarrhea to gruffness of breath and hives , so is not something you want to volunteer for . If you ’re allergic to seafood , avoiding these symptoms mean hop on cicadas , as well as crustaceans , as these geographically distant animals are in fact touch .
The relation is evidently reflected in the cicadas ’ flavor , which was reported byThe Atlanticto be peewee - similar , and right served air - fried . Ambitious restaurants are serving up the abundant protein informant grilled , roasted , and even burnt umber - coat — the taste bud tremble !
When not being served up on a platter , Brood X has enjoyedquite the partyin 2021 , having been rustling up from the primer coat since May after a 17 - year siesta underground . They arrived in theirbillionsand , as we so often do , humans set about to see tiny , winged snacks rather of insects . In a world where sustainability is more authoritative than ever , it figures that we should monopolize on such an opportunity , but no smack is quite so bitter as that of anaphylaxis .
Unfortunately for the cicada , the party was crashed by a less than worthy attendee . The culprit : Massospora cicadina , a well - known fungus among the scientific community , which spreads from cicada to cicada via intimate touch . The symptoms turn the cicadas into what scientist have termed “ take flight salinity shakers of death ” owing to the fact that it turn their butts to infectious dust .
It ’s thought that the emergence of a cocaine - like heart and soul enables the cicada to keep getting their addict on despite riding butt - less , enabling them to coat fellow cicada in the virulent dust .
A bum bargain all round , then , but at least you do n’t end up zephyr fry , grill , or compensate in deep brown .
