Japanese dessert made with truffles and gold leaf is the most expensive in the world
The £5,100 ice cream: Japanese dessert made with truffles and gold leaf is the most expensive in the world
- The delicacy comes exclusively from the Italian city of Alba
- ‘White Knight’ comes with its own handmade metal spoon
The most expensive ice cream in the world has gone on sale in Japan – for more than £5,000 per scoop.
The frozen dessert, called byakuya – “white night” in Japanese – currently costs 880,000 yen for a serving, officially making it the world’s most expensive ice cream, according to Guinness World Records.
Japanese ice cream brand Cellato calls “white night” a gelato on its website, hinting at its Italian origins.
The delicacy is sourced exclusively from the Italian town of Alba, home to white truffles that can cost up to two million yen (£11,606) per kilo.
The ice cream is topped with an edible gold leaf, two types of cheese and ‘Sakekasu’, a paste-like ingredient derived from the process of making sake.
The delicacy is for sale in Japan and is shipped directly to consumers
“It took us over 1.5 years to develop, with a lot of trial and error to get the flavor right,” a company representative told Guinness World Records.
The company said its mission was not only to create mouth-watering expensive desserts, but also to create a “culinary adventure that combines European ingredients and traditional Japanese dishes.”
To that end, it enlisted Tadayoshi Yamada, the executive chef of RiVi, an Osaka-based restaurant known for its French-Japanese fusion cuisine, to helm the project.
The desert is for sale in Japan and shipped directly to consumers, according to CNN.
Tasting the treat is done with almost the same precision as Cellato lays out painstaking steps to determine how it should be consumed once it arrives.
The makers of the ice cream suggest pairing it with a French white wine to bring out the flavour
The ice cream is topped with two kinds of cheese and ‘Sakekasu’, used to make sake
Patrons are instructed to pour in the white truffle of the right texture just as the ice cream is softening before mixing it with a handmade metal spoon they are provided with.
They are advised to thaw the ice cream at room temperature or microwave it at 500 watts for 10 to 20 seconds if the texture is too hard.
While the Guinness World Records team didn’t get a chance to taste the dessert, Cellato previously offered a tasting for staff, who described the treat for the record holder as “rich in flavor and texture.”
In addition, they recommended pairing the tasting with sake or a French white wine.
Cellato, which also has a black truffle-based offering on its menu, said it plans to diversify its dazzlingly expensive product line to include champagne and caviar in the future.