A family of two adults and two children want to go to Japan for the upcoming school holidays. Flight Centre’s website says they can get there from Sydney for AU$7,652 return on ANA. And yet, just one scoop of the world’s most expensive ice cream by Japanese ice cream maker Cellato would set them back 880,000 Japanese yen. That’s over AU$9,575. One scoop. It’s enough to give you brain freeze.
The ice cream has understandably taken out the Guinness World Record for being the world’s most expensive iteration of frozen milk and sugar. And the fact that just one scoop of the stuff would set you back more than flights for a family of four to its birthplace is something to remember the next time you have clients complaining about the cost of airfares.
So what makes it so special?
It’s called byakuya or white night. And its key ingredient is a rare white truffle grown in Alba, Italy. A truffle that is priced at 2 million Japanese yen (almost AU$21,000) per kg.
Add to this an edible gold leaf, two types of cheese and sakekasu a paste-like ingredient derived from the process of sake-making. And there you have it, a scoop of ice cream worth more than my car.
“It took us over 1.5 years to develop, with a lot of trials and errors to get the taste right,” a representative from the company told Guinness World Records.
But don’t expect to just down the scoop in a few licks. There are rules. Because Japan.
Apparently, you have to pour in the white truffle at the right texture just as the ice cream softens, before mixing it with a handcrafted metal spoon. At least you get to keep the spoon.
To defrost the ice cream, leave it at room temperature or microwave it at 500 watts for 10 to 20 seconds if the texture is too hard.
And because eating the ice cream is an experience, Cellato recommends pairing the scoop with sake or French white wine.
If you’re more a two-scoop kind of person, don’t worry! Cellato plans to add champagne and caviar flavours to its pricey product line. And if you’re not quite able to afford a taste of byakuya, remember that Japan has other culinary delights on offer. A bowl of ramen will set you back AU$6-10 on average. I know my choice.
