Israeli Hanukkah doughnuts known as sufganiyot. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A noted Israeli pastry chef is hawking what may be the most expensive doughnut in the world.

The hole-less, cream or jam-filled doughnuts known as sufganiyot are ubiquitous in Israel during the Hanukkah season, but they usually go for a handful of shekels at a time.

According to Israel’s Channel 2, however, Israeli chef Dudu Outmezgine is challenging this tradition in grandiose style. His latest masterpiece is retailing for 100 shekels apiece.

The reason: The sufganiyot are coated with 24-karat gold.

The stunt raises an interesting question: Can you actually eat gold? In a video on the subject, food critics Vita Kaires and Rita Goldstein asked precisely that. The answer from Outmezgine’s people was only, “It seems so.”

The duo “Vita and Rita” sampled the 100 shekel sufganiyot and weren’t impressed. Goldstein found the taste “extremely disappointing.” With all the hype surrounding it, she said, such a doughnut has to have a “special taste” that “makes you feel it’s worth the price. Otherwise all that remains after this sufganiya is fingertips covered with glitter.”

In this case, unfortunately, the verdict was “This sufganiya: Flop.”