An ice cream parlor owner in Rottenburg am Neckar is known for sensational ice cream varieties.
But his latest creation might disgust some.
Rottenburg am Neckar / Munich - His extraordinary creations are probably not for everyone - and certainly not for sensitive stomachs: Thomas Micolino runs an ice cream parlor in Baden-Württemberg.
The 33-year-old caused a stir with a new type of ice cream – and not for the first time.
Ice cream parlor from Baden-Württemberg relies on unusual creations
Fresh, light brown ice cream lies in the counter of Micolino's ice cream parlour.
Carefully separated from the rest of the usual worries - like Malaga, lemon, chocolate or mango.
A safety distance from the special ice - so that the guests are not disgusted.
Because what lies there is certainly not for the faint of heart: the special ice cream is garnished with brown insects.
A thought of the jungle camp is probably not entirely surprising - and confusion with the usual ice cream is excluded anyway.
Dead crickets with prickly hind legs and long feelers adorn the ice cream.
More precisely: they are house crickets, so-called dried crickets.
In any other kitchen in Germany, you would probably call the exterminator after a short cry at the sight of this.
With Thomas Micolino one hears the question: "Waffle or cup?"
Insects in food - is that actually allowed?
On January 24, 2023, a new regulation came into force.
The EU Commission approved so-called novel food applications (new foods) dedicated to protein alternatives.
House crickets may therefore be used in food according to EU law.
Frozen, dried or as a powder - it doesn't matter.
In addition to house crickets, grain mold beetles are also included.
There are similar rules for locusts and flour beetle larvae, among others.
In quite a few countries, insects are part of everyday cuisine because they are considered nutritious and rich in protein.
In the opinion of Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann, this will "play a major role in feeding humanity" in the future.
It is a "reasonable way" that makes ecological sense to get proteins, he said when the regulation came into force.
Biologist Mark Benecke, on the other hand, sees the breeding of insects as food as not entirely harmless.
"Advertise with disgust": Expert explains the background to insect ice cream
"Advertising with disgust arouses curiosity," says Benedikt Jahnke, an expert in food marketing at the University of Kassel.
There is a certain group of consumers who jump at it, so-called "sensation seekers" who quickly get bored.
Since Micolino keeps offering new creations, the strategy is consistent, says the researcher.
"He picks up what is currently the subject of social controversy and turns it into an interesting action."
Ice cream maker Micolino is probably one of the sensation seekers.
He was simply driven by the desire to experiment.
He has already tried insects himself on vacation - snakes and crocodiles were also there.
He gets “bored”, he always does the same thing.
For months he tried around in his small ice cream factory in the back room, worked on the right composition with the crawling animal, refined the taste.
He obtains the crickets from a local breeder and boils the powder again at 90 degrees.
To make four kilos of ice cream, he needs 200 grams of cricket flour, plus cream, sugar, milk, vanilla, cookies and wild honey from the Black Forest.
Positive and negative reactions to insect ice cream: "Do you have to go through every sh***?"
The idea for the ice cream probably came from a bet, as can be seen from a Facebook post.
Taking to the social media platform, the 33-year-old wrote: "A bet I've been working on all winter and didn't propose without fear of repercussion." The cricket flour ice cream is a message for eating, "that could be the future".
"I loved it!!" commented one customer directly in the comments section.
Another user doesn't seem so sure.
She wrote that "a spoonful" would be enough for her to try.
So far, no one who has tried it has been disappointed, reports the 33-year-old.
But the reactions are far from always positive.
Outraged followers on social media have canceled their customers.
There was also an angry email.
"Do you have to do every sh*t?" someone wrote to him.
Micolino could not understand that.
After all, he doesn't force people to eat the insect ice cream.
"It's just a matter of the head." Anyone who is against it should come and test the ice.
33-year-old from Baden-Württemberg known for extraordinary ice cream creations
Incidentally, it is not the first time that the 33-year-old from Baden-Württemberg has caused a stir with his creations.
Ice cream covered with real gold leaf, gorgonzola ice cream or liverwurst - his ice cream parlor definitely has something to offer for people who crave unusual types of ice cream.
He even lures his customers with an offer: Anyone who orders a scoop of insect ice cream gets a second scoop of their choice for free.
Micolino claims he runs the first German ice cream parlor with insect ice cream.
That's difficult to check.
In Munich, an ice cream maker is now advertising high-protein “buffalo worm ice cream”.
A list shows which other sweets already contain insects.
(mbr with dpa)