clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Watch: Salt & Straw Makes Cricket and Mealworm Ice Cream for Halloween

New, 2 comments

Eat it before it crawls away

If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Portland’s Salt & Straw ice cream shop loves to unleash bizarre and, at times, gut-wrenching ice cream flavors. For Halloween 2017, it is has released five limited-edition ice creams:

  • Dracula’s Blood (with REAL blood!)
  • Essence of Ghost
  • Freckle & Hyde Potion
  • The Great Candycopia (like you dropped your Halloween stash directly into a pint of ice cream)
  • and Creepy Crawly Critters... featuring REAL BUGS

In the video above, see chocolate-covered crickets and coconut-mealworm brittle mixed into matcha ice cream to create Creepy Crawly Critters.

Why would you ever eat insects? First, around 2 billion people around the world already regularly eat insects because they are full of nutritional value, including lots of protein. Also, insect farms do not produce nearly as much methane as cattle ranches, which is good for the environment. And most importantly, some people even think they taste good.

While on the shoot with Eater, Salt & Straw head ice cream maker Tyler Malek explains different insects have different flavors, from nutty to citrusy. Malek took inspiration from the Don Bugito insect farm outside of San Francisco, which raises and harvests crickets and mealworms for culinary uses.

Obviously, there’s no better way to try insects for the first time than mixed into ice cream. Ready to step out of your comfort zone? Salt & Straw’s Creepy Crawly Critters is currently available in all Portland and Los Angeles shops through October 31.

Salt & Straw

2035 Northeast Alberta Street, , OR 97211 (503) 208-3867 Visit Website