The Seafood Ice Cream That's Worth Trying With An Open Mind
Ice cream is enjoyed in countless different ways around the world. Whether you're a chocolate lover or prefer a lighter vanilla flavor, no matter how you rank ice cream flavors, there's one out there for everyone. Even if you prefer savory over sweet, the growing world of seafood-flavored ice cream may spark your interest. These fishy flavors have been becoming more popular across the globe in recent years, and seafood ice cream isn't as novel as it seems.
For decades, Maine has been serving up lobster ice cream. Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium in Bar Harbor, Maine has been scooping their famous chunky lobster meat ice cream since 1988, according to Atlas Obscura, and plenty of adventurous eaters say the vanilla ice cream blends well with the buttery lobster bits. And with other seafood items like jellyfish and smoked salmon also making dairy debuts in recent years (per Travel Tomorrow), it may seem impossible to get any weirder with the combinations.
However, Japan has been serving up unique seafood-infused ice creams in an effort to revive their rural countryside.
Squid ink and scallop ice cream attracts tourists
For many years, Japan has struggled with ways to deal with the increasing age and declining birthrate of its population. Some of this is in part due to young people moving out of the rural areas and into urban ones. One of the answers the country has come up with to reinvigorate these rural areas is stimulating their economies by showcasing special dishes made with unique regional ingredients and flavors, according to Atlas Obscura. Ice cream is no exception, and new flavor combinations, like squid ink or scallop ice cream, have seen an increase in popularity.
The Aomori prefecture is a somewhat obscure area in northern Japan, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. However, the area has been selling scallop soft-serve ice cream, which can often be served with a dab of wasabi, to curious travelers. The flavors surprisingly work well together, as most salty and sweet combinations manage to do. Sora News notes the scallop flavor is definitely present, but it is not overwhelming.
Further south, in the city of Yaizu, a local purveyor has been serving up black squid ink-flavored ice cream. According to Ani News, the area has seen a notable increase in both tourists and residents since popularizing the unique flavor, proving this method of celebrating local flavors is working in Japan's favor. According to the National Post, the flavor is once again sweet and salty with an underlying fishy flavor.