Fried cicadas are fragrant, have a greasy taste and are crispy in the mouth, a favorite dish of people every summer.

Every summer, ticks live in abundance on cashew trees, rambutan trees or forest trees. When it gets dark, the cicadas molt from larvae to adults, and this process takes place very briefly.

If you want to have this dish, people must choose the right time to separate themselves from their original shell, because when they molt, the cicadas have very soft bodies, called milk cicadas. After only about 30 minutes of molting, the wings become dry and hard, making them unpalatable.

Cicadas are processed into many dishes such as porridge, fried in flour, stir-fried with onions and the most delicious is fried. After catching the ticks, people put them in bags, tie them tightly, and wash them in dilute salt water so they don’t grow wings and escape.

To avoid poisoning, after soaking in salt water, the ticks are dipped in boiling water and then rinsed with cold water. On a blazing fire, people put the cicadas in a pan of hot oil, and when they turn yellow, they are cooked.

The golden-bodied cicadas emitting a delicious aroma are served with herbs and dipped in garlic and chili fish sauce. Put it in your mouth, you will feel the greasy and crunchy taste along with the spreading aroma.

Cicada meat is more fragrant than crickets or locusts. Crispy fried cicadas are sold at Dong Xoai market, priced at about 150,000 VND per kg.