This Mustard Ice Cream Is Very Polarizing

In 2018, the Internet nearly broke with the news that a Scottish ice cream shop, Ice Falkirk, had added a Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise flavor to its menu. Some customers were brave enough to try it and found it to be "really nice, creamy, and rich;" others were horrified. For those in the second camp, this condiment ice cream trend is just getting started. On Wednesday, French's mustard and cult-favorite L.A. ice cream brand Coolhaus announced that they collaborated on a limited edition mustard ice cream, served with a pretzel cookie to match. The launch is timed with National Mustard Day, which falls on August 3 — holidays aside, our immediate first thought was the taste. Could a sharp, tangy condiment like mustard really marry well with something sweet like ice cream? French's kindly sent us a sample so we could decide for ourselves.

At first glance, the ice cream is exactly what you'd expect — a deep golden color, just like its namesake mustard. The scent, too, was unsurprisingly mustard-forward, which made me want to turn on my grill and make hot dogs. (If that's what Coolhaus and French's are going for, it definitely worked.) What I wasn't prepared for was the flavor. When it first touched my tongue, the taste was a little sweet and fruity, almost reminiscent of Starbursts. However, that profile was quickly replaced by a punch of mustard. It's sweeter and less acidic than the mustard flavor we're used to, with savory notes. While the quality of the ice cream itself is creamy and excellent, our editors were in split camps as they tried it. Some weren't sure how they felt; others loved it.

"I love the mustard ice cream. It might be because I haven't actually eaten real ice cream in several years because of my cursed gut and the sensation is tricking my brain into processing that joy, but it's immediately delightful," one editor wrote in a particularly moving testimony. "I'm a sucker for savory sweets, and this is reminiscent of savory-ish kulfis I've enjoyed. To me, mustard is like denim. It's a utility player that I use in dressings, spreads, marinades, etc. I use it as a flavor agent like I would a spice. This is good stuff. Even though it looks like Play-Doh."

The ice cream was available at the Culver City Coolhaus location in August 2019, and New Yorkers could spot a French's mustard ice cream truck roaming around the city and The Hamptons. The latter gave out free samples at Rockefeller Center and Hearst Tower/Columbus Circle; in Brooklyn Heights and Madison Square Park; and finally, the Hamptons on Main Street and East Hampton Main Beach.