No matter what you might consider “expensive”, some food is just about out of everybody's
price range. So, here are the Top 10 Most Expensive Foods In The World
Iberian Ham
Prosciutto is already not the cheapest thing to buy, so imagine what happens when you try
to make it "extra fancy?" Yup, the price tag gets "extra pricey." Iberian Ham, a delicious
Spanish version of the Italian prosciutto, is considered one of the finest, most daringly
expensive cured meats in the world. It's made from the back leg of Iberian black pigs, which
are raised both in Spain and Portugal. The pigs are fed exclusively on acorns - the
nut from oak trees - which is what makes them so expensive in the first place. Their special
diet is also what gives the ham its special flavor - it gives the meat a particularly
nutty taste - something not so common. Aged for at least three years, Iberian Ham can
sell for quite the hefty price - from $100 dollars a pound to $1200-$1400 dollars for
an entire bone-in ham - that better be a big chunk of meat. And this ham is also somewhat
a thing of legend - it has been eaten for centuries, and people throughout history have
rhapsodized on its taste and quality; even Christopher Columbus carried black pigs with
him on his journeys across the ocean. So, if you want to try some nutty ham and you
have a few hundred bucks lying around, why not treat yourself to a nice slice of Iberian
ham.
Wagyu Steak
No steak in the world is more linked with high-end taste and luxurious expense than
Wagyu beef. Wagyu is Japanese cattle that come from only four specific regions. It's
specially bred to limit its grazing and movement, to make it a fatter, more tender beef than
the well-worn regular cattle that most steak derives from. The Wagyu steaks delivered from
the Kobe area in Japan are the most well-known and prized around the world for their delicate
texture, densely marbled flesh, and delicious, well-rounded taste. However, there is a case
to be made that the lesser-known Matsusaka brand, which comes from the same black cattle,
is even more prized. Indeed, a single Matsusaka cow once sold for $400,000 dollars. Often
a tenderloin from these cows can cost up to three hundred dollars or more in a restaurant
- so you really have to love your beef to justify throwing that kind of money down on
a small cut of it. But, apparently, many people do - the steak became so revered that America
began breeding these black cattle around 2012 to cut on import costs and to compete with
the Japanese bred cattle - but the Japanese version is still the steak that goes for the
highest price around the world. The strict regulation around what makes Wagyu a wagyu
steak, including the percentage of fat and marbling required, make this a very particular,
intensely beloved product, fit for royalty.
White Truffles From Alba
Nestled in the mountainous territory of Piedmont, Italy, is a town called Alba, known for its
exquisite wines, refined culinary traditions, and of course, the famed delicacy, the legendary
white truffle. The white truffle from this area is known as the creme de la creme of
truffles and locally as "the Truffle of the White Madonna." People who have sampled it
have often described its taste as something close to a spiritual awakening and is considered
superior to the also delectable black truffle. White truffles are one of the rarest and one of
the most expensive and luxurious food items in the world. And though they can be found
in other regions, the people of Alba treat them like royalty. To give an example of how
high-end this mushroom specimen is, a three and a quarter-pound truffle was once sold
to a customer for over $300,000 dollars. Truffles are so prized because they are difficult to
cultivate and grow several inches underground, and the process of locating them is quite
an elaborate one, full of superstition and tradition. Truffle hunters descend upon the
surrounding hills of Piedmont once a year with their trained truffle-hunting dogs, who
sniff out the fungi and signal to the hunters. Once the truffle is located, the hunter carefully
digs the truffle out and gently removes the dirt from the surrounding outer layer. And
the result is sublime. They’re known to pair with many dishes, like pasta or risotto,
draped over polenta and eggs, steak, or simply on their own - so, by all means, indulge - but
get ready to open up that wallet wide!
Pule Cheese
Pule cheese is a rarity and a delicious yet highly expensive cheese derived from both
donkey and goat milk made only in one small region of the world. Pule is produced in the
nature reserve of Zasavica, in Serbia, a highly unusual place for one of the world's
most expensive foods to hail from. This cheese is apparently delicate, soft, and tasty - not
unlike a pure goat's cheese in texture and appearance. It can cost between $600 and $1700
dollars per pound - that’s a lot for a hunk of cheese. The animals the cheese is
produced with are milked by hand, and they produce a very small amount of milk. This
means it's a very labor-intensive process - which is something that many of these expensive
foods have in common. They’re usually scarce, take a lot of work to produce, and are from
a very small part of the world. Donkey’s milk is unusual in cheese production, and
even ardent cheese lovers have likely not tasted it, as it is historically linked with
lives of luxury. Apparently, Queen Cleopatra bathed in donkey’s milk to maintain her
youthful appearance and keep her energy levels up, although there are no reports about whether
this method actually works for those looking for that eternal fountain of youth.
Saffron
Saffron looks unassuming at first glance. It's made up of small red threads derived
from the Crocus Sativus plant, otherwise known as the ‘saffron crocus.’ But it is by
far the world's costliest spice by weight, often fetching up to $5000 dollars per kilo,
or five hundred dollars an ounce. It's made by drying the spice threads, which are then
used as a seasoning or coloring agent in many different cuisines. Saffron is most popularly
recognized as providing the rich, yellow tint and subtle flavor to a Spanish paella, but
it’s just as used and prized throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where it
was a staple of the spice trade. Its elevated price tag comes from the fact that the crocus
is so delicate, with each flower only yielding a scant few threads inside of it, which need
to be plucked by hand by farmers, so it is considered a highly labor-intensive crop.
To get a pound's worth of saffron threads, you need around 75,000 flowers - and considering
each is hand-harvested, it begins to make more sense why this spice is so highly valued.
It isn’t just a matter of throwing some seeds in the ground and grabbing whatever
grows, the crocus thrives in very specific conditions, and many laborers are required
to harvest it - enough to justify its luxurious cost.
Almas Beluga Caviar
Caviar is probably one of the foods most commonly linked with luxury; however, caviar is a pretty
broad term, and not all caviar is considered equal. Some types of caviar are beyond most
people's wildest, priciest dreams, and the Almas Beluga Caviar is largely considered,
per pound, the most expensive food in the world. In Russian, ‘Almas’ means diamond
and this is the food equivalent of a crown jewel, often selling for around $35,000 dollars
per kilo. The color is a light, golden hue due to the fact that it comes out of an albino
Beluga sturgeon that can be up to a hundred years old. Needless to say, it definitely
puts the price tag into perspective. Like many of these luxurious, expensive foods,
there is some controversy around the harvesting of this caviar concerning animal rights. The
sturgeon population is depleting in key parts of the world because they are so prized, making
this ingredient all the more rare in the long term.
Kopi Luwak Coffee
Getting a morning coffee every day from your local coffee shop can add up quite quickly
- however, it's nothing compared to the dent Kopi Luwak Coffee can make on your budget. People
who have had the income to afford this $1300 dollar per kilo coffee might have second thoughts
when they find out exactly where this magic brew came from. Otherwise known as ‘civet
coffee’ and sourced in Indonesia, Luwak Coffee is made up of coffee cherries that
have been partially digested by the Asian palm civet, a tree-dwelling animal. Yes, the
beans are carefully extracted from the animal’s feces after having fermented in its digestive
tract. And yes, there is a gross factor involved with the cultivation of this premium-priced
coffee, but those who have tried the coffee consider it a premium taste, too. Of course,
like many great, rarified things, it comes at a cost. These days, the understanding of
how much money can be made by selling a bag of these pebbles means that producers have
turned to breeding the civets and keeping them confined in small pens in order to force-feed
them the cherries. So consider this, and where this luxurious, strange coffee is sourced
from before dropping a grand on these beans.
Foie Gras
One of the old-school staples of a luxury pantry includes this controversial fatty goose
or duck liver, known throughout the world as Foie Gras. It’s a delicacy, to be sure,
and can go for hundreds of dollars per pound, depending on where it’s sourced. Goose liver
is considered to be the top of the line when looking at foie, but the controversial practices
around how it is produced have caused several countries around the world to outlaw the process. New
York City also banned it in recent years from restaurant menus, and for good reason. The
process the animal has to go through to fatten up its liver and make it more delectable and
rich in taste includes force-feeding it in a metal tube, which is known as gavage. The
practice is still done in France, where the food is so bound to tradition and national
dishes that they have so far refused to give up the practice despite continuous protests
from animal rights groups. The laws of France even state that ‘foie gras belongs to the
protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France’, and it’s also easy to see
why it’s so hard to give up, aside from tradition. It also happens to be a rather
often used ingredient found in terrines, mousse, or simply served as a whole chunk of liver,
at some of the most expensive and high-end restaurants around the world.
Yubari Melon
We might not recognize fruits as being the most prized or expensive foods, but in some
parts of the world, they are considered the king of the crop and go for premium, outlandish
prices. In Japan, the Yubari Melon is so revered; it can fetch $14,000 dollars for a single
melon! It might look like a glorified cantaloupe, but apparently, the taste of the Yubari is
the most succulent, sweetest melon flavor in the world. It's described as having a soft
flesh with a tender, supple rind which is completely unlike its less flavorsome western
melon counterparts. Its expense comes from its scarcity since it is specifically grown
on one island, the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Its reputation is so through the roof that
the fruit has taken on a level of myth in Japanese culture. They are considered to be
the ultimate luxury gift, especially during Chugen, the ‘hungry ghost festival’ which
takes place each year in Japan. Interestingly, the fruit is not really native to Japan, as
it is a hybrid created from two other cantaloupe cultivars, Earl’s favorite and the American
Burpee’s ‘Spicy’ Cantaloupe - so you can’t say that deliciousness doesn’t travel
and adapt well. By the looks of it, it's perfectly round, with slightly mottled skin and a rind
delicate to the touch. Farmers often keep part of the stem attached to the melon before
the sale, which gives it an interesting, ribbon-on-a-gift-like appearance. Well, with a price like that,
at least you save on wrapping paper!
The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence
This odd-sounding dish is not a single food per se, but rather a dessert first invented
in a resort in Sri Lanka that sells for an eye-popping price of $15,000 dollars. Yes,
you heard that right; somewhere out in the world is a place where you can drop fifteen
G’s on a small plate of dessert and show whoever happens to be around you at that moment
who is truly boss. Or a sucker. The Fortress Stilt Fisherman indulgence is indeed the most
indulgent dessert ever concocted, made up of Dom Perignon and Irish cream, with a mango
and pomegranate compote. Um, that doesn’t really sound like it adds up to $15,000 big
ones!? Well, it also comes complete with a champagne sabayon and a small chocolate sculpture
of a fisherman sitting on a stilt. To keep that stilt balanced? It comes with an 80-carat
aquamarine stone you can bring home afterward. Sure, you’re obviously paying for the jewel
over the dessert, but we’re pretty sure the dessert tastes fine, too. This artful
dessert is like an aesthetic sugary fortress, made only for the rich of the world.
What would you try if you had the dough? Let us know in the comments below. And tap or
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