Missouri Health Officials Nix Cicada Ice Cream

The 13-year cicadas are out in Missouri but an ice cream parlor's attempt to turn the bugs into a seasonal treat has been thwarted. Health officials descended on Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream after its first batch of cicada ice cream sold out and told them not to make any more, reports the Missourian. An official says the state's food code doesn't cover cooking temperatures for cicadas so Sparky's was advised to cool it.

The bugs, harvested from employees' backyards, were boiled and coated in brown sugar and chocolate before being added to the ice cream, CBS News notes. Some wings were left in for extra crunch. People who tried the ice cream say the cicadas tasted a bit like peanuts. Sparky's has had plenty of people turn up hoping to try the new flavor, but a sign on the door tells customers they'll now have to wait until 2024. (More ice cream stories.)