Creepy-crawly cuisine: farmers cash in as cicadas all the rage at restaurants in eastern Chinese city
Farmers can make more per hour catching the insects for the pot than white-collar workers, according to newspaper report
Some farmers in Jiangsu province in eastern China are making 10,000 yuan (HK$11,50) a month by catching cicadas as the noisy insects become an increasingly popular seasonal dish in the provincial capital Nanjing.
Wholesale prices for cicadas are about 40 yuan for 500 grams, the Nanjing Morning Post quoted a source as saying.
A rural family of three can spend two hours between 7pm and 9pm catching the best quality cicadas and earn more than 300 yuan, an industry insider said, adding that the money was better than some white collar workers made per hour.
The insects are sold for 8 yuan for four in many restaurants in Nanjing. They are either grilled or fried and regarded as a highly nutritious meal.
The dish is a traditional local cuisine in northern Jiangsu and neighbouring Shandong province, but interest in it has risen to a new high this year, according to the article.
