The most expensive foods in the world can hardly be surpassed in terms of exclusivity and luxury. They are rare, difficult to obtain and extremely delicious to eat. Gourmets around the world shell out hefty sums to purchase these exquisite dishes. We introduce you to the top 5 most expensive foods in the world.
Before starting the list, it should be said that this ranking refers to foods that are well known and certainly available to a wider range of buyers. Products that are hardly or not at all freely traded were avoided. For example, according to the Südkurier, the Chinese Da Hong Pao tea, which is only obtained from a handful of mother plants and is only given as a gift to state guests, reached a sales price of 18,500 euros for 20 grams at a rare auction in 2004 . This corresponds to a price per kilo of an unbelievable 925,000 euros. Also not included in the ranking are comparable products which, primarily for reasons of prestige, led to record sales at special auctions. In addition, the prices of the most expensive foods are subject to more or less strong fluctuations, so the order of the foods listed here can also vary. It is also possible that there are other foods between the individual places that are even more expensive to buy, but still did not make it into the list.
Spot 5: Kobe beef
Kobe beef is commonly considered “the best meat in the world”. It comes from cattle of the Tajima breed and is named after its Japanese region of origin, Kobe. Original sales therefore only go back to the corresponding animals from this area of the world. What is special about Kobe beef is its unique marbling of fat. Fine white veins run through the red meat and make it appear pink. The structure leads to an extraordinary tenderness when consumed. It is also said to have a unique, nutty taste. Since the meat is in great demand all over the world and the supply is relatively scarce due to regional restrictions and the genetic specificity of the cattle, prices skyrocket. Buyers can expect to spend between 200 and 600 euros per kilogram.
4th place: The Matsutake mushroom
Our next place is also from Japan. The Matsutake is a very rare white or brown pine mushroom. According to the Laxary website, the fungus only grows in a few Asian forests. It only thrives under special conditions, which currently makes breeding impossible. In order to obtain it as food, the rare mushroom must therefore be found by experienced seekers with great effort. Matsutake has been established in Japanese cuisine for over 1,000 years. Today it is also valued as a specialty in the rest of the world. The mushroom is characterized by a unique smell and a spicy aroma. The prices for one kilogram are around 1,400 to 2,000 euros.
3rd place: Alba white truffle
We’ll stay with mushrooms and now come to what is probably the most expensive representative. Similar to the matsutake, the white truffle cannot be grown, making it similarly difficult to harvest. Depending on the climatic conditions, the yield of the search is sometimes higher and sometimes lower. So availability on the market fluctuates, which only makes the white truffle all the more expensive when demand is high. As with Kobe beef, the original Alba white truffle comes exclusively from certain Italian regions. According to the Truffleshop website, the unique mushrooms have a garlic-like smell. However, their taste is milder than the aroma would suggest. In gourmet kitchens, the white Alba truffle is considered an absolute delicacy. The price per kilo varies between 1,500 and 15,000 euros, depending on the market situation. According to information from “The Fast and the Luxurious”, however, the average selling price should be around 9,000 euros per kilogram.
2nd place: Almas white caviar
When you think of really expensive groceries, caviar probably springs to mind for most people. Among the many valuable types of caviar, however, there is one that is particularly exquisite: the white Almas caviar. The Russian word “Almas” stands for “diamond” and is intended to express the high quality of this caviar. It comes from the rare albino sturgeon from Iran and is even more expensive than the more famous beluga caviar. The annual yield of the small fish eggs is very small. As the Netzwissen website reports, the yield should only amount to 20 to 30 kilograms per year. In addition, the older the sturgeons from which the caviar was obtained, the higher the price for the later food. A kilogram of this extraordinary specialty is said to cost between 15,000 and 33,000 euros.
1st place: saffron
The top spot in this ranking is occupied by the most expensive spice in the world. It is also called “red gold” and is still laboriously extracted by hand today. Saffron comes from the inside of a lilac crocus flower. Strictly speaking, this is the crocus species Crocus sativus, which loudly Alnatura flowers only from late October to early November for about ten days. The saffron threads are in the three reddish stigmas of a flower. The harvest is very laborious and low-yield. According to an article in Zaster Magazine, the yield per harvest worker is only 60 to 80 grams per day. Almost 200,000 flowers are needed for one kilogram of the spice. According to projections by The Fast and the Luxurious, this should correspond to a cultivation area of around 10,000 square meters or 1.5 football pitches. The very complicated extraction ultimately makes saffron the most expensive food in the world. A gram of the coveted spice is said to cost a whopping 30 euros. That makes an unbelievable 30,000 euros per kilogram.
Editorial office finanzen.net