Cicadas served as food during “All Creatures Yum” pop-up event last week, another event Friday, bigger event June 12th (Warning: If insects make you queasy, don’t look)

May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Cicadas on a Skewer are prepared as Brood X Cicadas are served as food items during a pop-up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/The Bloomingtonian)

A small gathering of people sampled food made with Brood X cicadas during a soft opening of the All Creatures Yum event, which will take place in Bloomington on June 12th.

Details of the event are still under wraps, but some area residents, including Aaron Jones, are planning a series of pop up events to coincide with the 17th year emergence of the insects which live underground for most of their lives.

The Brood X cicadas, like a passing comet, will be visible until sometime in July before they disappear again.

For several weeks now sidewalks, gardens and trees have been some of the sites of the transformation of billions of billions of cicadas from nymphs to winged creatures that can create 100 decibel mating calls to attract female cicadas. The cicidas flying or climbing, clumsily, to the tops of trees. The females will then lay eggs onto branches of trees, and the nymphs will then crawl back into the ground to feed on tree roots until approximately 2038.

However, before nymphs transform, they are edible.

On the menu at the soft opening last week were the following items:

Cicada Skewers

Crispy Cicada Salad

Elote (Street Corn) – with a sprinkle of tajin made with cicadas

Cicada Tacos

Cheesecake with Chocolate covered cicadas

Several restaurants are participating in the June 12th event, including the Sinkhole, Le Petit Café, and Pili’s Party Taco.

“We will be popping up with Pili’s Party Taco on Fri night from 5:30-8:30pm for a sample of what’s to come at the big event on the 12th. The All Creatures Yum! team are treating this almost like a ‘rave’ dance with those interested signing up to hear about the location at www.allcreaturesyum.org,” Aaron Jones told The Bloomingtonian Wednesday.

Local restaurant Le Petit Cafe is also planning to provide the desert on the 12th, and hopes to start selling a limited number of Cicada cakes from the window of the restaurant depending on demand.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/251465170105607/permalink/264499882135469/

May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Cicadas on a Skewer are prepared as Brood X Cicadas are served as food items during a pop-up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Cicadas on a Skewer are prepared as Brood X Cicadas are served as food items during a pop up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer 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 as food items are served at a pop-up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer 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 as food items are served at a pop-up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Yarctzi Nayeli shows off the pet cicada she brought to dinner as other Brood X Cicadas are served as food items during a pop-up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer 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 items during a pop-up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer 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 a food item during a pop-up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer 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 items during a pop-up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/The Bloomingtonian)
May 27, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana: Cheesecake with chocolate-covered cicadas were one of the menu items as Brood X Cicadas are served as food items during a pop-up event organized by a group calling itself, All Creatures Yum. A few gathered during the event to try the Cicada dishes, which included Cicada on a Skewer and other menu items. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/The Bloomingtonian)

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