No One is Brave Enough for Ice Cream That Tastes Like the World’s Smelliest Sushi

July 31, 2020

A type of Japanese sushi known for its pungent odor is getting an ice cream treatment.

Aged several years: Funazushi, a special type of sushi that uses heavily fermented fish as its main ingredient, is now an ice cream flavor in Japan.

Funazushi gets its strong odor from the age of the fish, which is consumed years after being caught and preserved in salt.
A specialty of Shiga Prefecture, funazushi is made by covering fish in salt and then leaving it to age in wooden barrels. After a year, the fish is removed, mixed with rice and then set aside for two to three more years.
Preparation for funazushi is said to be similar to how sushi was first made hundreds of years ago when modern commercial fishing and refrigeration have yet to exist.
The fermentation process involves the breaking down of the fish meat as it decays over the years.
The outcome is a strong smell and flavor that earned it the nickname “stinkiest sushi in the world.”
Despite its notoriety to assault the senses, funazushi has gained prominence in fine dining and is now considered as a luxurious dish.

A Tokyo treat: According to SoraNews, Koko Shiga Soft Cream sells the funazushi flavor in Tokyo for 400 Japanese yen ($3.78).

Other flavors available include Matcha, Hojicha and the plain variant.
The ice cream is served with a monaka wafer shaped like a fish.
Those who tried the ice cream note that the pungent odor of the fermented fish has been largely subdued by the sweet scent of the ice cream.
Even the flavor reportedly managed to blend well with the ice cream, with the author exclaiming: “We were relieved that the amount of funazushi used was perfectly suited to the ice cream, creating a delicious flavor that makes us understand why a lot of people pay high prices to enjoy fermented sushi.”

Feature image via Great Big Story

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