A candy company in Maryland is taking cicada season to a whole new level.
Chouquette Chocolates is monopolizing on this year's emergence of cicadas that have been underground for the past 17 years. With a surplus of these noisy insects, the company has found a way to put them to use.
The bugs of Brood X are frozen, boiled, coated in oil and spices, and then dipped in either milk or dark chocolate.
While many would probably be fearful of the "Fear Factor"-esque snack, company owner Sarah Dwyer assures customers that the end result is much like biting into a chocolate covered potato chip.
She elaborates to WBAL, "It's really crunchy because we air-fry them."
For those concerned about cross-contamination with the bugs, Dwyer assures customers that the vat of chocolate they dip the cicadas in are used only for the bugs.
If you're skeptical about the cicada-filled treats, Dwyer's company offers a slew of other cicada themed chocolate snacks like chocolates with cicada quotes on them, buttons, and chocolates molded into cicada shapes filled with marshmallow, corn flakes, and candy.
Dwyer is no stranger to capitalizing on current events to help sell chocolates. Last year, their biggest seller was Dr. Fauci chocolates.
Interested in other cicada-clad dishes? The resurgence of this generation of cicadas has led to a slew of other snacks and meals that include the creepy crawlies.
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Get your hands on cicada salads, guacs, and even kimchi.
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