Japanese take world pâté-croûte prize again

Published: January 21, 2025 by Gill Harris 918

Few foodstuffs are more iconically French than pâté-croûte. So it has raised eyebrows across France that yet again, the Japanese have scooped the prize for the world’s best.

The 15th Championnat du Monde de Pâté-Croûte was won by Taiki Mano, from Les Saisons de l’Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Second place went to Seigo Ishimoto, from Le Cœur restaurant in Chiba, Japan, with an autumn pâté-croûte, made with chicken liver, cooked foie gras, cognac, black trumpet mushrooms and yuzu pepper. It comes after Frenchman Frédéric Le Guen-Geffroy’s win in 2023, which put a brief end to a three-year run of Japan taking the top spot.

Mano, 29, won best newcomer at the 2023 contest and vowed he would be back to win the World Pâté-Croûte Championship in 2024. His year of preparation saw him make 350 pâtés-croûtes – until he finally arrived at the winning recipe: Pâté-Croûte à la feuille d’or, containing duck leg, chicken liver, pork liver, pork shoulder, sweetbreads, foie gras, cognac, hazelnuts and pistachios.

Arnaud Bernollin, co-founder and organiser of the championship, said: “This year has seen the emergence of new techniques drawn from the reservoir of gastronomy and pastry know-how. I had never seen a pâté-croûte unmoulded with gold leaf decorations. It was sublime!”

Third prize did, at least, go to France, with Damien Raymond, from Daniel Gobet SoGood Traiteur in Ségny (Ain), taking the last place on the podium. He made Pâté-Croûte de la Bresse, with Bresse poultry, Dombes duck, wild mushrooms, duck foie gras and Cantal pork.

Fifteen finalists took part in the competition, which has been going since 2009. But what of the Japanese domination over this peculiarly French dish? Audrey Merle, co-founder of the Confrérie du Pâté-Croûte, said: “Japanese chefs are excellent technicians, they have mastered the art of the knife, they have added their rigour, their precision, their attention to detail.”

Fancy having a go yourself? Try our pâté-croûte recipe at home.