edible CHICAGO
Cicada Curious
Tom Yum Koong
Photo by Laura Scherb THIS PAGE: Photo by Megan Marshall
edible CHICAGO
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Summer’s here, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this sun-soaked issue with you. Chicago’s buzzing to life, and we’ve packed this edition with all the flavors and stories that make this city magic.
We’ve had the privilege of connecting with so many of you over the past few weeks of the early market season and have heard your pleas for more recipes! I’m happy to say we’ve delivered this issue with five incredible recipes to inspire your market trips and feed your friends and families.
PUBLISHER and EDITOR IN CHIEF
Megan Marshall
COPY EDITOR
Megan Ashley
SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING
Tamar Wittenberg
ADVERTISING advertise@ediblechicago.com
PRINT DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Bruce Cole
CONTRIBUTORS
Chelsea Hammersmith
Colin Hanner
Laura Scherb
Megan Marshall
Rachel Morrison
Palita Sriratana
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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Edible Chicago is published quarterly and distributed throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. ©2023. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.
And speaking of recipes, the most exciting feature of this issue builds on our insatiable curiosity surrounding the cicada emergence. Colin Hanner and Laura Scherb dug deep with the experts to ask the question that’s certainly been on everyone’s minds.
Cicadas are everywhere. What if we ate them? You might think this is a bit sensationalized, but I am confident this is only a toe in the water of the future of insect proteins as a sustainable food choice in American culture. We’d only be catching up to what so many global cuisines practice and celebrate. Only time will tell!
We’ll be making the rounds at summer festivals and markets across the city in the coming months – keep sharing your feedback and stories when we meet.
I’m personally looking forward to the endless negroni slushies, chilled reds, road trips, and of course, all the amazing food. Here's to a delicious and unforgettable summer.
Cheers!
Megan Marshall (she/hers) megan@ediblechicago.com @meganlmarshall
Above:
Right, top
Patio
Monsoon Pottery
How
Danielle Chutinthranond Shapes Community and Culture Through Pottery
Photos and story by Laura Scherb
Danielle Chutinthranond, a former tech worker turned artisan, discovered her passion for pottery almost a decade ago at Chicago's Lillstreet Art Center. This transformative experience marked the beginning of her journey into the art of ceramics, leading her to establish Monsoon Pottery in the vibrant West Town neighborhood. Driven by an insatiable curiosity and a deep-seated love for food and hospitality, Chutinthranond has immersed herself in the craft.
“I'm a really curious person. I'm kind of a searcher. When I see a topic that's so broad, there's so many different areas
to delve into. This is a whole universe that I became very interested in,” she said. As she dove into the craft, she found herself motivated to improve so she could bring ideas to life.
“I had all of these fully-formed ideas about what I wanted to make and things I wanted to create for specific dishes.”
Chutinthranond draws heavily on the past for inspiration, along with her passion for food and hospitality that started when she worked nearly every job at her parents’ high-end Thai restaurant in Central New York. “It cultivated a creative atmosphere for me,” she said. “They were always thinking about inventiveness, seasonality, and presentation.”
“People have been doing this forever. It just makes me feel connected to human history, like I’m participating and closing the loop.”
Lately, afternoons spent at Chicago’s Art Institute have been just as galvanizing, prompting her to dive into topics like the history of porcelain or celadon glazes. “Knowing the basic history of the material is what motivates me to be really intentional. For me, it's just understanding and respecting where these traditions come from, then highlighting them. People have been doing this forever. It just makes me feel connected to human history, like I’m participating and closing the loop.”
Chutinthranond also frequently works with chefs and creators around Chicago to design custom pieces for service, bringing a thoughtfulness and intention to each project she takes on. “I don’t have a sell sheet. That’s now how I work. I want to understand the space that they’re working in, and I want to respond to that. I want to create something that fits into that space specifically.”
As a result, Chutinthranond’s pieces are as distinctive as their inspirations. The set of Midwest seasonal vegetable plates created with chef Jason Vincent of Giant was featured on the hit series The Bear. An upcoming collaboration with the design shop Martha Mae (1727 W Grand Ave.) features delicate porcelain tea serviceware that is an homage to both Asian tea service and Martha Mae owner Jean Cate’s grandmother’s petal cup collection.
Left and this page: Danielle Chutinthranond crafts a custom piece in Monsoon Pottery's West Town studio.
As Chutinthranond looks to the future of Monsoon, she hopes to incorporate more events into her calendar. “I want to continue to engage with this work, with this material, with these ideas. Hospitality is in my blood. I’m brainstorming about how to bring people together who share the same values of good food, tea, and art history.”
Chutinthranond’s latest project ties all of this together: Family Style is a series of smaller plates designed to be used for bites of family style dishes. “I just want to make a canvas for people to tell their family stories on these plates. There's all these different expressions and the glazes will change seasonally, so if you can wait until you find the one that speaks more to your family's food culture.”
Inspired by family style food cultures, Chutinthranond wanted these dishes to be as dynamic as the meals they’ll carry. “The idea is to have a long meal. It's not to load up your plate with everything all at once. We're opening a bottle of wine. We're gonna be grazing for a bit, and then we're going to bring out more dishes. We're gonna take our time and we're gonna have a conversation and then we're going celebrate being together.”
Limited pieces are available for sale at monsoonpottery.com.
Top: A collection of Chutinthranond's tools used for shaping each piece. Left: Pieces from a recent collection await finishing touches and their turn in the kiln.
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Tom Yum Koong
By Palita Sriratana
Tom Yum soup is a tangy, herbaceous broth that will wake up your taste buds. Nam Prik Pao, a Thai style roasted chili jam, is essential to this classic dish. Nam Prik Pao has a base of caramelized garlic, shallots, shrimp paste (with a fish sauce alternative for the vegan version). It's a bit different from a chili crisp or chili oil in that it's a jam that has tamarind and palm sugar.
Classically made with Shrimp - Tom Yum Koong, the broth can be substituted with seafood and mushroom broth. In America, you typically see this "Nam Khon" version, meaning cloudy from the addition of coconut milk or evaporated milk. Forgoing coconut milk makes a Tom Yum "Nam Sai" or clear water.
Whether prepared with shrimp, chicken, or mushrooms, Tom Yum remains a universally enjoyed dish that showcases the vibrancy of Thai cuisine through its balance of sour, spicy, sweet, and savory notes.
12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups water
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised, cut into 2in pcs
3 slices galangal, each one a half in thick
6 makrut lime leaves
3 bird's eyes chilies pounded
3 oz fresh oyster, cut in pieces
2 tablespoons Nam Prik Pao
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
Bring stock and water to low boil. Add aromatics: lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce, coconut milk and mushrooms. Salt to taste.
On low simmer, add shrimp and nam prik pao. Cook shrimp until tender.
To serve: Turn off heat. Add lime juice, chilies, and makrut leaves. Serve immediately with fragrant jasmine rice.
Note: Add lime juice last. Adding lime juice too early will lead to a bitter taste. Lemongrass and galangal are aromatics that perfume the broth, but are not to be eaten.
Nam Prik Pao is ready to eat condiment that is great on cheeseboards, pastas, and a starter for stir fries.
Left: A celebratory spread of tom yum and accompaniments featuring Monsoon Pottery ceramics (page 4) and Nam Prik Pao by Pink Salt.
Photo: Jack Li
beer put the wind in chicago politic's sails
The Beer Culture Summit is at the nexus of hoppy history, culture, science and enjoyment
By Chelsea Hammersmith
One of the most important moments in Chicago history is the city’s very first record of civil unrest, according to historian and museum professional Liz Garibay. The animating force behind that unrest, per Garibay? Beer.
Elected by a coalition of temperance advocates in 1855, Mayor Levi Boone ran on a nationalist platform and, once in office, started changing liquor laws to target the heavily immigrant-run bar and beer industry. In protest, bar owners stayed open on Sundays and faced mass arrests evolving into what is now known as the Lager Beer Riot.
Garibay describes it as “the first time [in Chicago] that a lot of different immigrant groups decided to organize and get to city hall to protest.” They successfully convinced city council to lower liquor license fees and allow pubs to stay open on Sundays, which more broadly demonstrated a victory against
Left: The Lager Beer Riot took place outside the Sherman House at Clark and Randolph Streets in 1855. Photo of The Sherman House by Alexander Hesler, 1858, Chicago History Museum.
nativist policies intended to police how the immigrant working class made their money and spent their time.
“The beer riot happened because of people’s willingness to come together to fight laws that were very much connected to the beer industry,” remarks Garibay. “But more importantly because they stayed organized, they were able to make political change… it was the first time that Chicago got its identity as a political machine. There are a lot of stories like that, not just in Chicago, but around the country and around the world where people truly have come together to create change, and it's all connected to alcohol.”
For Garibay, studying beer was a bit of a hobby until she started implementing her work at the Chicago History Museum in the mid-2000s. As a Latina and daughter of immigrants, Garibay found that the museum and arts and culture industries were not always welcoming spaces to everyone. “I was often told that looking at stories of beer — god forbid letting people drink while we discuss — was dumbing down history.” Once Garibay convinced the Chicago History Museum to let her create more interactive, beer-focused programming, they started to reach “demographics that really didn’t come through those doors before.” Garibay ultimately left the museum in 2012 to pursue her vision of creating spaces that were willing to unabashedly hold up beer as a key subject in global history, a conduit of social change, and an enjoyable beverage that attracts patrons into once-stuffy cultural institutions.
In 2018, Garibay launched an exhibition at the Field Museum called the Chicago Brewseum, which told the story of Chicago through beer from its early days of settlement in 1833 to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition (where, notably, Pabst did
not actually win a blue ribbon!). The Field exhibition led way to the Beer Culture Summit, which Garibay launched in 2019 in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
For Garibay, museum and academic conferences were always “the same people talking about the same stuff,” while beer festivals were just about drinking beer, and existing beer conferences were very technical and meant for beer producers. She explains, “the Beer Culture Summit was something I wanted to be a little bit of everything; you could be a big geek and want to hear German hop scientists talking about the problems with potential hops extinction, or you could jump in on a session that talks about people being Black and queer in beer, or [experience] everything in between.”
The Beer Culture Summit has come to define the Beer Culture Center, the 501(c)(3) behind the summit and where Garibay serves as Executive Director. Much of their programming is focused on elevating lesser known aspects of beer history and rooted in addressing diversity and equity. Despite a 2019 report by the Brewer’s Association showing the industry's dominance by white males, Garibay stresses the importance of remembering that the earliest brewers were women. By challenging outdated narratives and bringing people together over beer, the Beer Culture Center aims to transform cultural perceptions and industry practices.
The 2024 Beer Culture Summit will be held from October 16-19, offering virtual sessions globally and in-person events in Chicago. For more details or to subscribe to their newsletter, visit beerculturecenter.org. e
t’s
tImE tImE IIt’s
Greenstar Brewing Celebrates 10 Years in Chicago
By Rachel Morrison
This summer marks a significant milestone for Greenstar Brewing as they celebrate their 10th anniversary in Chicago. Since opening in 2014, they have proudly held the title of Illinois's first-ever certified organic brewery. This June, the celebration is not just about looking back but also about embracing the future, as evidenced by their release of the “10 Year Beer,” a robust 10.5% ABV Double IPA.
Organic Since Day One
Uncommon Ground, known for its dedication to sustainability, celebrated its 23rd anniversary in 2014. This milestone also marked the birth of Greenstar Brewing, Illinois' first certified organic brewery. The decision to go organic was a natural fit. Beer requires just four ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast. Uncommon Ground already had a strong relationship with the Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA), having collaborated to certify their rooftop farm, the first of its kind in the country.
Greenstar embraced third-party certification for the first eight years. However, maintaining this certification became increasingly challenging due to evolving requirements. MOSA's desire for their malt supplier to also be certified organic presented significant hurdles and costs. While Greenstar initially shouldered the certification burden for both the brewery and the malt company, financial realities eventually led them to step back from formal certification. Despite this shift, Greenstar remains committed to using organic ingredients. Their dedication to sustainability continues to echo the values that have made Uncommon Ground a leader in the green movement.
Photo: uncommon ground
LIQUID ASSETS
Community Focused
Greenstar Brewing's style is community-oriented and collaborative. The brewery frequently collaborates with other local breweries and shops. At Uncommon Ground, you’ll find recommended beer pairing for every dish, recommended by the chef and brewer.
In 2020, Brandon Stern joined the team as head brewer. He started his professional brewing career in Chicago in 2011, with experience at other breweries across the Midwest. Since joining Greenstar, he’s been given free rein to brew what he wants and to have fun with it. This mentality translates into Greenstar Brewing’s beer menu. It features a wide variety of beer styles, including American-style IPAs, Belgian-style Strong Ales, German Pilsners, London Porters, and N/A Ginger Beer.
Due to the brewery’s proximity to Wrigley Field (and Michael’s love for the Cubs), the brewery produces beers inspired by the Chicago Cubs. “Curse Lifter” was released when the Cubs won the World Series. “Flippin’ Bats” is a beer brewed for day games, night games, and double-headers. It’s a Mexican-style lager at 4% ABV, making it the perfect summer beer, for enjoying all day (or night) long.
What’s Next for Greenstar?
Greenstar Brewing plans to keep doing what they do best. Brew a wide range of beers, focusing on the best organic ingredients. They will continue to celebrate milestones with friends, family, and fans of the brewery, including backyard BBQs and pre-games for Cub’s home games. Those who were lucky enough to score one of the original stainless steel growlers can still visit the brewery and get a growler fill for free, as long as Michael is around.
Ten years ago, Greenstar Brewery set the precedent for Illinois breweries to brew organic beer. Today, they remain focused on brewing exclusively with organic ingredients. Each dish on the menu at Uncommon Ground has a recommended beer pairing, further emphasizing the importance of ingredients used in both the brewery and restaurant.
Cheers to the past ten years in Chicago and the next ten more!
Above: Brandon Stern, Greenstar Brewing's head brewer, joined the team in 2020. Photo: uncommon ground
Stay updated on Greenstar Brewing's latest news and 10th-anniversary plans by following them on Instagram @greenstarbrewing or visiting UncommomGround.com/greenstar-brewing.
Photo: Megan Marshall
Leeks with Zesty Vinaigrette, Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs, and Burrata
By Megan Marshall
These tender leeks, dressed in a tangy vinaigrette and topped with crispy, garlicky breadcrumbs, make for a stunning appetizer or side dish. Plus, it’s easy to prepare ahead of time, making it a go-to for effortless entertaining.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
4 medium leeks
VINAIGRETTE
Small shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
3 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Teaspoon whole grain mustard
1 Teaspoon of honey
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
BREADCRUMBS
3 garlic cloves
½ baguette, may substitute ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Unsalted butter
3—4 Sprigs of thyme
Lemon, zest only
1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
The Leeks
Trim the roots and stems of the leeks leaving only the white and light green portion of the stem. Thoroughly rinse the stems to remove any dirt and grit before cooking. The darker green stems can be saved and used in stocks and broths – store in the freezer for another day.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the leeks and boil for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the leeks until very tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
The Vinaigrette
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl or shake together in a small, sealed jar.
Vinaigrette and leeks can be made 2 days ahead. Return leeks to room temp before serving.
The Breadcrumbs
Blitz 2 garlic cloves in a food processor. Tear half a baguette into roughly 2-inch pieces. Add bread chunks to the garlic and continue to pulse into small, irregular crumbs.
In a small pan, melt butter. Add the breadcrumbs and garlic to the pan stirring carefully until toasted evenly.
While breadcrumbs are toasting, mix lemon zest, thyme, and paprika together in a small bowl. Once crumbs are evening brown and toasted, add to the lemon zest mixture and salt and pepper to taste.
To Serve
Cut prepared leeks in half lengthwise. Arrange on a plate with the layers facing upwards – this gives the best nooks and crannies for the vinaigrette to settle.
Pour vinaigrette over the leeks. Allow to marinate at room temp for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 3 hours for flavors to develop.
Just before serving, top with burrata and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Enjoy as-is or serve alongside fresh, toasted bread.
This recipe was tested using local ingredients sourced from Nichols Farm & Orchard, Jacobson Family Farms, and Verzênay Chicago.
Pork Milanese with Seasonal Vegetables and Toum Yogurt Sauce
By Megan Marshall
Photo: Megan Marshall
There's a cozy spot in Brooklyn, right by the Franklin Ave stop, that I visit whenever I can. It's a place where seasonal simplicity shines, with a romantic ambiance and a thoughtful staff. Hart’s has my heart.
The menu at Hart’s changes often, but it follows a comforting rhythm: a few vegetable plates, the beloved clam toast, a milanese, and an olive oil cake among other dishes. This predictability is something that home cooks can find solace in—having a few staple dishes that are perfect for both quiet dinners and entertaining, adaptable through the seasons. This Pork Milanese recipe, inspired by many delicious dinners at Hart’s, is one you’ll want to keep handy.
SERVES 2
INGREDIENTS
TOUM YOGURT SAUCE
1 cup greek yogurt
2-3 tablespoons toum*
Lemon Salt
½ lemon
PORK MILANESE
2 boneless pork chop
2 eggs
Teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup panko
SEASONAL VEGETABLES
Snow peas
Arugual
Radish
Micro greens
½ lemon
For the Tom Yogurt Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt, toum, the juice of ½ lemon, and a pinch of salt.
Cover and store in the refrigerator until plating.
*Toum is a traditional Lebanese garlic sauce - fantastic on it’s own, used in marinades or dressings. There are a handful of ready-toeat options available and I highly recommend Chicago’s own, Vargo Brother Ferments.
For the Pork Milanese
Place the pork chop between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder or rolling pin, carefully pound the pork chops one at a time to approximately ¼-½ inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In three small baking dishes, prepare your dredge. In the first dish, scramble the eggs with the dijon. In a separate dish, mix the flour, garlic and onion powders, and salt together. The third dish will hold the panko.
In a medium cast iron skillet, pour in vegetable oil, just enough to cover the base of the pan. Bring the oil up to temp at medium heat. Test the temperature by occasionally tossing in a few panko crumbs - if they sizzle on the surface and quickly turn a toasted brown without burning, you’ve hit the sweet spot.
Carefully add a pork chop one at a time to the pan, frying for about 2 minutes a side until cooked through and golden brown.
Remove from the pan and allow excess oil to drip off - let rest and season with a light pinch of salt.
For the Seasonal Vegetables
In a small bowl, toss together the seasonal vegetables of your choice with the juice of ½ a lemon and a small pinch of salt. I tend to lean into vegetables with crunch and a bit of spice for this mix - radishes, cucumber, snap peas, and spicy micro greens are great options.
To Serve
To prepare each plate, add a generous spoonful of yogurt sauce and spread a thin layer around the plate. Place a pork chop directly on top and allow for the yogurt sauce to peak out from underneath.
This recipe was tested using local ingredients sourced from Finn’s Ranch, American Pride MicroFarm, Nichols Farm and Orchard, and Vargo Brother Ferments.
Photo: Megan Marshall
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Almond Cake
By Megan Marshall
This cake draws inspiration from the Spanish Tarta de Santiago, a classic almond cake cherished by the people of Galicia and trekkers of the Camino.
Dense and bright with a hint of lemon zest, this delicately sweet cake is perfect for any meal—breakfast, lunch, or dinner. With just five simple ingredients, preparation is a breeze.
Serve it with freshly whipped cream and seasonal fruit for a dessert that transitions effortlessly through the seasons.
SERVES 6-8
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Zest of one lemon
1 ¼ cup of granulated sugar
5 eggs at room temperature
3 cups almond flour, plus 1 tablespoon for baking dish
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF degrees.
Prepare an 8x8 baking dish by coating the bottom and sides of the dish with butter and a light dusting of flour. Don't be afraid to use your fingers to ensure the butter coats the corners and edges.
In a small bowl, rub the zest of one lemon into the sugar.
Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and beat by hand or with an electric mixer, until thick and pale yellow for about 6 minutes.
Add the almond flour, cinnamon, and almond extract to the sugar mixture.
Stir until combined and no clumps remain. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the baking dish.
This recipe was tested using local ingredients sourced from Finn’s Ranch and Ellis Orchard.
CiCada Curious
This summer, millions, billions, trillions—and by some accounts, even quadrillions—of cicadas will emerge from beneath us. So why don’t we eat them?
By Colin Hanner
A noisy emergence awaits us.
Starting in May, 13- and 17-year cicada broods (known more regally as Brood XIX and Brood XIII) emerged from the ground simultaneously on a scale that hasn’t been seen in 221 years.
And while it’s safe to assume you will find no shortage of the decibeldefying bug on trees, sidewalks and in your dog’s mouth, you might even find some on your dinner plate.
Cicadas aren’t on the food pyramid but they are an excellent source of protein, coming in at 100 grams per pound (similar to that of red meat). Not only is the environmental impact smaller than that of a cow, but they’re also keto-friendly, low-carb and low-fat.
On paper, cicadas should be in line to be crowned the next hot superfood.
But unlike innocuous cruciferous vegetables or hearty legumes, cicadas—harmless to humans and the environment—have one characteristic stacked against them: they’re disgusting.
Piercing red eyes?! A cockroach-like exoskeleton?!! And they can fly?!!! No, thank you.
“Insects really provoke a lot of disgust responses for Americans, but around the world, people have a totally different relationship to insects,” said Gina Hunter, a professor of anthropology at Illinois State University and author of Edible Insects: A Global History. (Hunter is referring to the 2 billion people—or a quarter of the world’s population—who eat insects.)
But what makes insects any different from, say, a lobster, a bottomfeeder with no discernment in its diet? Or its aquatic brethren—the crab, the shrimp or the crawfish?
Photo: Laura Scherb
What’s our beef with bugs?
Our yuck, other’s yum
According to the groundbreaking culinary guide CicadaLicious: Cooking and Enjoying Periodical Cicadas, entomophagy, or the practice of eating bugs, has existed since the beginning of humankind. For most of history, they haven’t been the objects of disgust but rather as a means of sustenance.
And a delicacy for some. For instance, in 350 BC, Aristotle wrote about consuming cicadas: “To begin with, the males are tastier to eat, but after copulation the females, because they then contain white eggs.”
But Western tastes changed. Like many unfortunate realities about our modern world, Hunter says disgust with insects can likely be traced back to colonialism in North America.
“At some point in time, it becomes a way of saying, ‘Those people eat insects, but we do not,’” Hunter said. “It became a mark of either backwardness, primitiveness or poverty.”
Though cultures have eaten insects forever, Westerners quickly disapproved of cicadas and other insects and ditched them as dirty when, in fact, the opposite is true.
Cicadas’ diet subsists on “pure and wholesome vegetable food,” wrote F.S. Bodenheimer in his 1951 ethnography Insects as Human Food, a fact that still holds today. Bodenheimer explains the cicada preparations of many North American Indian tribes, which included gathering the insects, removing their wings, and roasting them in a hot oven or boiling them on the stove.
“[W]hen the cicadas first leave the earth, they are plump and full of oily juices,” Bodenhiemer wrote, “so much so that they are employed in making soup.”
Our tastes have generally become more accepting in recent history. Due to globalization, the widening lens of what other cultures consider food, and a rising trend of sustainably harvested protein, insects aren’t as taboo as they once were.
But the question remains: Would you eat them?
On today’s menu
Do a quick search online for eating insects, and the algorithms will spit out plenty of challenge- or dare-style content. Framed as disgusting, the content rarely breaks through as something more than that.
But you don’t have to look further than in our own backyard to see the stigma being challenged.
For Jackie Hernandez, the chef de cuisine at Rick Bayless’s Bar Sótano in River North, having insects on the menu isn’t an attempt to elicit shock value. “In the U.S., [insects] are seen as kind of strange and weird,” Hernandez said. “But in Mexican cuisine, it’s very available and very open.”
Hernandez, who is Mexican herself, notes the street markets in Oaxaca, where dry-roasted grasshoppers (“chapulines,” as they’re known), scorpions, mealworms, and other kinds of insects are stacked high next to nuts, beans and spices without discernment.
At Bar Sótano, chapulines, toasted and served with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt, are a part of the menu’s Oaxacan Drinking Snacks. In another dish, the Costillas Asadas, charcoal-grilled thin-cut short ribs are served with chicatana salsa, a hot sauce made from flying ants.
For the insect-uninitiated, Hernandez said her staff takes a “soft approach” to explaining to customers how to enjoy eating insects: as an accompaniment that enhances the rest of the dish, not as the main course.
“People are much more intrigued and willing to try it that way rather than being told to try it head-on,” Hernandez said.
This approach butts against a pervading sentiment we may feel: We live in a time where there’s an urgent demand for complete upheaval in our lives. You must change right now and never look back because this time? This time, things are different.
And yet they are not. Or rather, we are not.
“I started very enamored of the idea” of insects becoming a replaceable protein, Hunter said. But after writing Edible Insects, a stark reality set in for Hunter: “I ended up much more skeptical.”
Changing habits
In Western society, we have not pivoted toward eating insects, even as we praise their ubiquity elsewhere or their environmental impact. Like cicadas, humans are creatures of habit — we’re rigid in our ways, rarely emerging and diverting from what we know.
Will you start eating three square meals of cicadas? Will you start to think of your neighborhood trees as urban cicada farms? Is this the summer you become a cicada-fed baddie?
Probably not. But in these times of urgency and pessimism, there always exists a shimmer of hope: You can try.
Nina Salem is the founder and owner of The Insect Asylum, a nonprofit vintage taxidermy and insect museum in Logan Square. This summer, The Insect Asylum will celebrate the cicada's emergence with Cicada Parade-a, which will feature cicada sculptures around Chicago and cicada-related events like cooking classes.
A former pastry chef, Salem is no stranger to cooking with insects and, in the past, has caramelized, sautéed, baked and even ground them into powders. Though her experience with eating insects may be more involved than that of the average home cook, Salem stresses the cicada emergence as an opportunity to get outside your comfort zone.
“If something is not going to inherently kill you, you should take every opportunity to feel safe and comfortable with trying things,” Salem said. She recommends lightly pan-frying cicadas and adding tangy or spicy seasoning, similar to how you might prepare shrimp or scallops.
Very soon, the buzz isn’t just going to be about whether we should eat cicadas—it will literally be all around us, a ceaseless droning hum that will be unlike anything we’ve heard before.
Perhaps you’ll decide to take matters into your own hands. You might go outside to scoop up a bagful of screeching cicadas, freeze and prepare them, and add them to a cajun-style boil or as a crunchy salad topping, if only to prove a point: I made it stop.
Fresh and fried Chapulines (grasshoppers) at a market in Oaxaca.
COOK COUNTY BOIL
Recipe and photo by Laura Scherb
For this recipe, you’ll need about a cup of prepared cicadas. To gather the cicadas, venture out early in the morning with a brown paper bag to snag the newly hatched cicadas (called tenerals). If you’re worried about over-harvesting, heed the expert advice of Maureen Turcatel, the collections manager of insects at The Field Museum of Natural History: “It’s such a massive event that, even if the entire population is eaten by predators, it’s not really going to have an effect on the next generation.”
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup prepared cicadas
3 cups water
12 oz. light beer
1 red onion, chopped
1 large lemon, cut into wedges
3 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 lb. baby potatoes
4 Andouille sausages, cooked, cut into rounds
3 ears of corn, cut into thirds
8 tablespoons salted butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Freeze the cicadas, then once they’ve expired, boil them for 4-5 minutes to sterilize and par-cook them. Finally, remove the legs and wings and use them as instructed in this recipe, or roast them for a crunchy snack or grind them into proteinrich flour.
Note: If you’re allergic to shellfish, avoid cicadas — they share a family relation with shrimp and lobster.
Add the water and light beer to a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the onion, lemon wedges and Old Bay, and reduce for 15 minutes. Add potatoes and sausages and cook for 10 minutes. Add corn, then cover and turn off the heat.
In a saucepan, combine butter, garlic and parsley until butter is melted. Use a slotted spoon to move the boiled ingredients to a serving dish, then add the garlic butter. Serve with bread.
