The One Ingredient Ben & Jerry's Refuses To Put In Their Ice Cream

Ice cream is basically the perfect treat that's ideal for every occasion. It's hard to disagree with this point, right? When it comes to reliably tempting ice cream, one brand that does a particularly good job catering to customers is Ben & Jerry's. The company's founders, former schoolmates Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, took a risk by starting their company simply after taking a $5 ice cream-making course, according to Cheapism.

You may know the brand for its inventive, multi-textured flavors. There's an intriguing reason for that: Cohen has a rare sinus condition called anosmia, which makes it difficult for him to thoroughly taste and smell, reports Delish. To compensate, the duo strives to churn ultra-creamy ice cream with discernible pieces of cookies, brownies, candies, and other mix-ins. After all, Cohen wants to enjoy his dessert, too. Despite being fairly flexible with its ingredients, however, there is one chunk that Ben & Jerry's said it will not incorporate into its ice creams.

"It's kind of funny, a lot of people look for bacon in our ice cream, which is probably not gonna happen because all of our ice cream is kosher," Ben & Jerry's marketing director Alison Gilbert said in 2015 (via The Algemeiner). "Almost all" Ben & Jerry's products are certified kosher, confirms the company website, and while there are exceptions, bacon ice cream would be especially tricky because pork is not kosher, and the combination of meat and dairy is prohibited under Jewish dietary guidelines, HuffPost points out.

What got fans so into the idea of bacon-flavored ice cream in the first place? It could have been thanks to artist Jon Defreest's fake mockup of "All of the Bacon and Eggs You Have" Ben & Jerry's, inspired by meat-loving "Parks and Recreation" character Ron Swanson (via Twisted Sifter). Other fans have different ideas. On a Reddit thread exploring customers' ideal Ben & Jerry's flavors, one ice cream enthusiast suggested "maple with bacon and walnut bits in it. That is my dream." Another commenter yearns for "maple syrup ice cream with bits of waffle and candied bacon." Let's hope they get these someday.