The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-04
Fried LOcusts for Breakfast.

New York Special
gentleman who had an engagement with
Professor Riley called at his house this morning
and found the entomologist alone in his dining
room reading the morning papers as he finished
a late breakfast
Come right in here, said the Professor 81
want an unprejdiced opinion about little mat
ter Then he called to the servant Bring me
some hot ones"
The visitor, despite the fact that he had
breakfasted, was induced to seat himself at the
table ''just for the experiment" and was served
with a spoonful of dark brown objects, like very
small fried oysters. He eyed them suspiciousy
moment, having discovered beneath the crust
of bread crumbs laminated back. something
like that of small shrimp.
what do you call itg"
''The Ccada They ought to have been
cooked in@'
What Bugs?"
"No, no! not bugs, only the ccada-miscall-
ed the fifteen year locust Don't be afraid of
them. They ar 9 only the quintescence of vege-
table juices, and everything in nature feeds upon
them ravenously."
Thereupon the host took one of the things, bit
it in two, munched, and swallowed it with an ap-
pearance of relish. The guest shut his eyes,
and attempted to bolt a whole cicada. The OBJ
lect crushed in his mouth and proved to be little
else than delicate she'll shut it's flavor was
found to be far from disagreeable
"AH its juices were absorbed in the batter"
said the Professor, explanatorily.
Neither the entomologist nor his visitor was
able to liken the flavor to anything with which
they were familiar, but they agreed in the opin-
ion that, vulgar prejudice overcome the
cicada would be esteemed a rare tidbit-rare,
certainly, since it required seventeen years to
ripen-and that it might take rank with frogs
legs, birds nests, shad roes, and whitehall.
Il spent an hour last night" said the host
gathering them, and they were very beautiful
when fresh. took them just as the pupa began
to break. They were creamy. white and pi mp,
and looked good enough to eat raw, but didn't
venture. ! think these should have been stewed
instead of fried-stewed in milk. 1 presume
they would be nearly as good as grasshoppe. !"
"Do you eat grasshoppers?"
Certainly. once ate no thing else for two
days, and found them delicious when properly
cooked. This is only an experiment. of course,
but my eating of grasshoppers had a practical
object in view. The insects had eaten nearly
everything in large region of country, and
many families were on the verge of starvation
Having lighted cigar, the entomologist de-
scrlbed his experience in attempting to introduce
a grasshopper diet in the West. He cooked the
insects in various ways and found tn EN- always
palatable an nutritious.
People invited to partake always evinced aver
sion at the first, but, preJudices having been
overcome, the dish became favorite with those
who essayed it.
both the @diopoda migratoria, +" he said, "and
the acridium perigrinum have been esteemed as
food by some nations IN all past ages as far
back at least as the Ninevan era. Indeed, some
tribes have been called Acridophivi, from the
almost exclusive preference they give this diet. I"