Why Is It Safe To Eat Scorpion Lollipops?

Scorpion lollipops?! Yes, they are an actual thing, though not that easily found if you're suddenly wanting to expand your adventurous palate. These exotic treats, common at tourist shops across the American Southwest, are basically sugar-candy lollipops with real, whole scorpions inside – sometimes with pincers and tail intact, and sometimes with them removed. And yes, they are safe to eat, so long as certain provisions are in place. For a scorpion to be safely edible, the venom contained inside the tail must be eliminated or neutralized. This can be done either by removing the tail's stinger or by thoroughly cooking the scorpion at a high heat. In the case of the scorpion candies, both methods are often used.

Heat decreases the levels of protein and free amino acids in venom and causes the toxic bits to coagulate so they can't be absorbed by the body, rendering the venom pretty much harmless. This is called denaturing the venom, and it works across most types of venom, whether it's from a scorpion, snake, fish, or another type of insect or reptile. Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that a scorpion's venomous tail needn't be removed if you're cooking the scorpion thoroughly and properly. So, if you're frying your scorpion, you'll look at cooking it at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about three minutes. They can also be boiled, baked, grilled, or roasted. 

Whole scorpions will generally only be used for the visual effect inside the glassy, colored lollipop encasing, as it's much easier to just chop the stinger off. It's interesting to note that the venom is made and held in the two end segments of the tail, so you want to aim to at least get rid of those two. The pincers aren't venomous, but they do tend to get stuck on the roof of your mouth or at the back of your throat.

While scorpion lollipops may sound quite unique and edgy, eating scorpions isn't a new fad. In countries like China and Mexico, scorpions (and other arachnids and insects) are eaten as part of the street food culture, and are usually served skewered and deep fried. They are actually quite nutritious, being high in protein, minerals, and vitamins, as well as chitin (found in the exoskeleton), which is a great source of fiber. And apparently (we haven't tried one ourselves just yet — the closest we've come is a scorpion cocktail) they taste like crab-meets-chicken with a nutty, earthy flavor.

But back to our scorpion lollipops. Believed to be the brainchild of Larry Peterman, founder of Hotlix Candy, the scorpions' predecessors (and the first insects to be woven into candy lollipops that we know of) were actually mealworms encased in a tequila-flavored lollipop. Why insects in candy, you may ask? Simply because they were thinking of cool flavors for lollipops and reckoned, why not chuck an insect inside one? If you're curious to try one after reading this (or know someone who is), Hotlix sells a four-pack of scorpion lollipops on Amazon.