May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Cicadas are cooked as Brood X cicadas are served as food during a pop-up event organized by a group called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
A small gathering of people sampled food made from Brood-X cicadas during a soft opening to the All Creatures Yum event, which will be held in Bloomington on June 12th.
Details of the event are still under wraps, but some residents of the area, including Aaron Jones, are planning a series of pop-up events to coincide with the 17th year insects that have lived underground most of their lives .
The Brood X cicadas will be visible like a passing comet until sometime in July before disappearing again.
For several weeks now, sidewalks, gardens, and trees have been some of the places where billions of cicadas have turned from nymphs into winged creatures that can produce 100 decibels of mating calls to attract female cicadas. The Cicidas fly or clumsily climb the treetops. The females then lay eggs on branches of trees, and the nymphs then crawl back into the ground to feed on tree roots until about 2038.
Before nymphs transform, however, they are edible.
The following items were on the menu at the soft opening last week:
Cicada skewers
Crispy cicada salad
Elote (street corn) – with a pinch of tajin made from cicadas
Cicada tacos
Cheesecake with cicadas with a chocolate coating
Several restaurants will attend the June 12 event, including Sinkhole, Le Petit Café, and Pili’s Party Taco.
“We’re going to stop by with Pili’s Party Taco on Friday evening from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm to get a taste of what’s going on at the big event on the 12th. All Creatures Yum! The team is treating this almost like a rave dance, with those interested registering at www.allcreaturesyum.org to find out more about the location, ”Aaron Jones told The Bloomingtonian Wednesday.
The local restaurant, Le Petit Cafe, is also planning to deliver the desert on the 12th and is hoping to sell a limited number of Cicada cakes out of the restaurant’s window based on demand.
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Cicadas are cooked as Brood X cicadas are served as food during a pop-up event organized by a group called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Cicadas are cooked on skewers while Brood X cicadas are served as food during a pop-up event called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Pilar Gonzalez eats a Brood X Cicada on a skewer while groceries are served at a pop-up event called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Pilar Gonzalez eats a Brood X Cicada on a skewer while groceries are served at a pop-up event called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Yarctzi Nayeli shows off the cicada she brought for dinner while other Brood-X cicadas are served as food during a pop-up event organized by a group called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Cicadas are an ingredient in salads as Brood X cicadas are served as food during a pop-up event organized by a group called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Street corn sprinkled with Brood X Cicadas is served as food during a pop-up event organized by a group called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Tacos were one of the menu items as Brood X Cicadas are served as food during a pop-up event organized by a group called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Chocolate-covered cicadas cheesecake was one of the menu items as Brood X cicadas are served as food during a pop-up event organized by a group called All Creatures Yum. Some gathered during the event to try the cicada dishes, including cicada on a stick and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian)
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