Cicada ice cream may go down in history as the strangest flavor of ice cream ever. The buggy flavor was created in Colombia, Missouri, a state currently being overrun by cicadas.
Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream had employees collect the cicadas from their backyards and bring them to the store. The bugs were then removed of their wings and boiled through and fully cooked. Although it sounds bizarre, the cicada ice cream was apparently good as the first batch sold out within a day. Spark's Homemade Ice Cream isn't planning on making anymore of this flavor anytime soon, however, as a sign on the window informed patrons to start lining up in 2024 for the next batch of cicada ice cream. And I thought putting cookies into ice cream was crazy...
What's Driving This Trend
- Insect-based Foods
- Exploring unconventional and sustainable options for incorporating insects into food products.
- Novel Ice Cream Flavors
- Experimenting with unique and unusual ingredients to create innovative ice cream flavors.
- Seasonal Limited Editions
- Creating demand and anticipation for limited-time offerings by introducing new flavors in specific time frames.
Who This Affects Most
- Food and Beverage
- Opportunities to disrupt the food industry by introducing insect-based food products.
- Dessert Industry
- Capitalizing on consumers' interest in novelty ice cream flavors to generate excitement and drive sales.
- Retail and Hospitality
- Creating buzz and attracting customers through limited edition seasonal offerings in ice cream shops and restaurants.
