OSAKA, Japan — A decadent treat from Japan has just set the world record for most expensive ice cream. Ice cream company Cellato's Byakuya flavor cost a whopping $6,696 for just 4.3 oz.
The ice cream, which can be purchased online, is made from rare ingredients, including truffles grown in Alba, Italy, which go for about $15,192 per kg. The ice cream also has Parmigiano Reggiano and sake lees, which is a fruity paste left over from sake production.
The ice cream was created for Cellato by chef Tadayoshi Yamada, who is the head chef at a popular fusion cuisine restaurant in Osaka, Japan.
When purchased on the Cellato website, the ice cream comes with a handcrafted metal spoon, made with the same materials used to build temples and shrines.
Cellato advises people to enjoy the ice cream by pouring a white truffle oil over it and mixing it until it's soft. "There is no expiration date, but we recommend eating it as soon as possible, about 10 days after purchase, in order to preserve the flavor and texture," says Cellato.
Guinness Book of World Records recognized the ice cream as the most expensive in the world this month, but Cellato isn't stopping there. They plan to release more ice creams with expensive ingredients like champagne and caviar.
They already offer higher-than-average-priced ice creams, including two black truffle and chocolate flavors – one that costs about $72 and another that goes for about $274.
In 2022, the price of a half gallon of ice cream in the U.S. hit a high of $5.56, up from an average of $4.75, according to Statista in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2021, the average American consumed about 12 pounds of ice cream each year – that's down from about 16 pounds in 2000.
