This is the year that the woods turn cacophonous, as the infamous “Brood X” reemerges from their 17-year slumber.
We’re talking about cicadas, of course: Extremely loud and strange insects about the size of a large thumb, who emerge from their hibernation often years apart. 2021 just so happens to be a year in which a rather large contingent of the creatures is set to return to the open air.
And so, naturally, the FDA is worried that you might be allergic to eating them.
The Food and Drug Administration has a colorful warning for people with a shellfish allergy: don’t eat cicadas. Turns out, the agency warns, that the noisy insects actually share a “family relation” to shrimp and lobsters.
“Yep! We have to say it!” the FDA tweeted on Wednesday. “Don’t eat #cicadas if you’re allergic to seafood as these insects share a family relation to shrimp and lobsters.”
While the warning surprised many of the FDA’s Twitter followers, it turns out eating cicadas isn’t unheard of, and it’s not even the first time experts have issued the warning for those with shellfish allergies. In fact, last month Montclair State University released a how-to on harvesting and cooking cicadas.
As it turns out, these bugs are rather delicious if prepared properly, with many restaurants including them in dishes such as tacos.
