Top 10 Most Expensive Foods In The World (*Tasty*)

While most of us aka the general population view food as comfort and a general source of nourishment and a life source, there are some food items in this world that are viewed as a luxury and might even be equal in the worth of that Gucci purse you’ve been eyeing!

Some of the items that top this list are not complex food dishes but simply contain really pricey ingredients that are used to create the complexly expensive dishes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

Extra Virgin Olive oil is considered to be one of the healthiest and nourishing food ingredients in the world they are rich in antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated fat. Lambda is the most premium extra Virgin Olive oil in the world which hails from Greece. This particular oil has won multiple awards and is made with Greek Koroneiki olives by Speiron Co. It’s available in limited quantities of

500 ml glass bottle in a stylish handmade leather pouch. This Greek olive oil is favored by celebrities and socialites worldwide for its pungent, fruity flavor and uniquely elegant presentation. It has also been called “The Chanel No.5 of olive oils” by Real News in Greece

Saffron

Saffron also known as Kesar in Hindi is the most expensive of the spices around the globe. Considering how pricey this particular spice is, it could be compared to buying gold. Saffron grown in Kashmir is sold at Rs. 540000 Per Kg. Why is saffron a mere spice, so unbelievably expensive? The reason behind it is harvested manually and it takes a good number of hours in extracting the delicate saffron from the flowers which are cultivated for about 3-4 years before the saffron can be harvested from the flowers.

It takes about 74000 to 75000 saffron flowers to extract just one pound of the spice as only a small part of the flower is used. Iran is the leading producer of saffron in the world both in terms of volume and quality. Saffron is used mostly as a coloring agent and imparts a mild flavor to the food items it is used with and is considered effective against the cold if ingested with milk

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Caviar

Caviar has been a delicacy item since the time of ancient Greeks. The word caviar is derived from the Persian word chav-jar, which means “cake of strength”. It was introduced into the modern world as a luxury food item by the Russian aristocracy. Caviar essentially is eggs or roe collected from the sturgeon family of the best fish, traditionally sourced from the Caspian and Black Seas.

There are three major varieties of caviar extracted from sturgeon all of which vary in sizes, textures, and flavors and hence prices. Beluga is the rarest and most expensive caviar in the world with a unique nutty and creamy flavor. Caviar is generally used as a spread on crackers or toast but in popular opinion is best enjoyed alone, directly eating it with a spoonful gives its best taste and flavors.

Kopi Luwak coffee

The civet coffee or the kopi Luwak coffee is the most expensive coffee in the world and it costs over 600 dollars. The production of this coffee is particularly peculiar and probably not everyone’s cup of tea. The coffee beans are fed to the Asian palm civet cats and when the cats excrete the partially-digested beans, they are collected and further processed into coffee.

It is said the stomach acids of these cats ferment and enhance the flavor of the coffee beans giving them the most coveted coffee flavor in the world. This delicacy is mainly produced in the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, and East Timor.

Wagyu Beef

Wagyu is the general term used for any of the four breeds of Japanese cattle. Roughly translated,  ‘Wa’ means Japanese and ‘gyu’ means beef. The beef has a unique marble texture which gives its smooth buttery and tender taste. These breeds of cattle are fed for almost 600 days after weaning which is about twice the amount that cattle are normally fed in other parts of the world.

This particular beef does not need to be hung and is instead slaughtered, packed, and immediately sent off to the chefs in high-end restaurants. For Wagyu Beef the marbling forms much slower than the other breeds and makes the flesh rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids with a much more balanced ratio of monounsaturated fats compared with other breeds of beef.

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Ayam Cemani Black Chicken

This is a rare breed of chicken that hails from Indonesia. Due to a dominant gene, the hyperpigmentation causes the chicken to have black skin, fears, break as well as internal organs including bones. The national geographic has named the bird as the most pigmented organism found in nature though funnily the eggs laid by the Ayam hens are cream in color. This chicken is not considered to be for the common people but is used as a symbol of status and wealth by the rich and upper class.

The birds are considered a good luck charm by the natives and the blood and other parts are used for medicinal purposes. The reason it is called the goth chicken is that it is also considered to have magical powers and can be used to communicate between the living and the dead, hence is used as a sacrificial bird as well and is rarely eaten in Indonesia and is generally transported to other countries as an exquisite delicacy.

Iberian Ham

Iberian Ham or Jamón Ibérico is the most expensive meat in the world that is produced in Spain and Portugal. This ham is produced from the pure breeds of Jamón Ibérico and only duroc pig is allowed to mix with this breed in order to preserve the official denomination of the Jamón Ibérico genes.

The ham has a very smooth texture and beautiful Savory flavor and the fat content is comparatively higher than the other Spanish breeds in the market. The piglets are left to graze on oak groves to fatten up and are also fed chestnuts and acorns to produce the highest quality of ham. Some producers cure the meat for up to 48 months to enhance the flavor and texture.

Matsutake mushrooms

Matsutake mushrooms are autumnal mushrooms found in Japan and are considered the most expensive of the mushrooms in the world, hence considered as one of the most sought-after delicacies in Japan by the rich and upper class. The mushrooms are in season, which is what makes them so exquisite and expensive. They have a meat-like texture, beautiful autumnal flavor and and 

It has a sweet scent that makes it a favorite of the MasterChefs when it comes to making matsutake dishes. This delicious mushroom breed has been enjoyed by patrons in Kyoto and Nara for over a thousand years. The mushrooms have been given out and exchanged as gifts by the aristocrats of Japan to showcase their culture and wealth. 

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Moose cheese

Moose cheese is produced at a moose house farm in Sweden and is one of the most ridiculously overpriced cheese in the world. It is prepared with approximately 5 liters of milk produced by each and every moose (note that moose milking is not the easiest task in the world) every day from the month of May to September.

The cheese costs around 1074 dollars and the farm is only able to sell around 300kg of the cheese per year due to its high price. The cheese is available only in a small radius of the farm and taste tasting it could also be a considerable pocket pinch.

Oysters

Among the most expensive oysters in the world, coffin bay oysters are the most pricey of the lot which is found in Australia. These oysters cost over 100 dollars each which would make your per person oyster platter cost around 1200 dollars.

However, the sizes of these oysters are pretty big and fulfilling hence one would not be able to eat more than maybe 5 of them which in itself would be pretty expensive. Although, these oysters are served raw with a squeeze of lemon so they may not be a delicacy for everyone. One can reap the best of experience of having these oysters by going on a tour to where the oysters are farmed, and the visitors can farm some themselves.

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