A Jar Of The World's Most Expensive Ice Cream Will Cost You Nearly $7,000
Usually, when you're craving a frozen treat, a few dollars at an ice cream truck can leave you more than satisfied. But have you ever wondered what kind of ice cream $7,000 can get you? A recent, extravagant entry into the Guinness Book of World Records intends to show you exactly what that money can buy, if you've got the room in both your bank account and your stomach, of course. You may think that an ice cream with a price tag like that may have diamond chunks or a hundred-dollar-bill ripple going through it, but it's luckily a lot more, well, edible than anything like that.
Cellato, a luxury Japanese dessert brand known for its deluxe approach to gelato, now offers a flavor called Byakuya, which translates to "White Night," that more than lives up to its high-end reputation. At around $7,000 a scoop, it is officially the most expensive ice cream that money can buy. You, unfortunately, may not be able to get it from the freezer section of your local gas station or grocery store, but this high-priced treat may just be delicious enough to impulse-buy that plane ticket, to get it straight from the source. What better reason to travel halfway across the earth than to taste the fanciest ice cream in existence?
High quality ingredients lead to high prices
The main reason that Cellato's Byakuya has such a steep price is because of the expensive Italian truffles used in its recipe. Each serving uses a Phantom White truffle imported from Alba, Italy. The dessert also boasts a combination of rich Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses sprinkled on top, and an edible gold leaf to garnish the luxurious experience. Tadayoshi Yamada, head chef of the popular French fusion restaurant Rivi in Osaka, oversaw the recipe preparation and says that the perfect combination of flavors wasn't achieved until one-and-a-half years after the idea's conception.
According to Guinness, the decadence was no coincidence, and Cellato invented the flavor with the specific intention of getting into the record books. In fact, even the spoons sold with the ice cream are handcrafted, and from the same materials used to construct temples and shrines no less! The fact that the ice cream itself happens to be quite tasty is just the theoretical icing on the cake.
Truffles are all over the record books
It may seem preposterous that the white truffles used in Byakuya will cost you an arm and a leg, but truffles are a typical ingredient found in many of the most expensive, record-breaking recipes. For example, the Guinness entry for the priciest pizza, which runs $2,700 a pie, is offered up by New York's Industry Kitchen. It features dough made of squid ink, with toppings that include two types of caviar, foie gras, and, you guessed it, imported French truffles. Truffles are also a big aspect of Serendipity 3's "Crème de la Crème Pommes Frites", the world's most expensive french fries, which are $200 a serving. Truffles are so sought after because, in addition to being rare and refined, they have a unique, pleasantly pungent taste. Plus, truffles are versatile, which makes them a desirable ingredient to include in a myriad of recipes. So it was only a matter of time before we found them in our frozen desserts!
The mass marketing of Cellato's Byakuya is highly unlikely to happen, given its wildly boutique ingredient list, but you always can order it from their website if you've got that classic combination of a sweet tooth and financial wherewithal! But, be aware that you'll have to assemble the dish yourself, so make sure to bone up on your truffle grinding skills! Until then, you'll have to make do with the typical offerings from the freezer aisle. Lucky for you, ice cream is pretty darn delicious no matter how rare the ingredients are!