The meaning of the phrase “expensive meal” differs greatly among people. Some associate it with red salmon, while others associate it with truffles. However, there is a broad spectrum of food goods with price tags you’d never have guessed were conceivable.
What dishes, on the other hand, would give the prized spice a run for its money? What is it about these things that makes them so expensive? And, more importantly, are they truly worth the money? Here are some of the most expensive food items in the world( however the below mentioned prices may vary regionally and the list may not be compared price wise as the specific demand of various food items may vary). How many have you attempted so far?
Table of Contents
1. Bluefin Tuna
Cost : $5,000, per pound
Bluefin tuna is at the top of the list of the world’s most costly foods. The price per pound can be as high as $5,000. In January 2020, a 600-pound bluefin tuna sold for $1.8 million at Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market.
Bluefin tuna is a meaty fish with a subtle taste. The Southern bluefin tuna, on the other hand, is critically endangered, while the Atlantic bluefin tuna is endangered and the Pacific bluefin tuna is vulnerable. The reason for this is because there has been a lot of overfishing. Bluefin Tuna is the most prized and expensive fish available. They’ve become a sought-after delicacy in many high-end restaurants due to its tasty fatty meat. They’re ideal for sashimi or tuna steak.
2. Caviar
Cost : $7,000 to $10,000 per kg
Caviar is the pickled roe of the sturgeon fish, and it is regarded as one of the world’s most delectable foods. It’s difficult to handle and package, but much more so, it’s extremely rare. The most well-known caviar comes from beluga sturgeon, which may be found in the Caspian and Black Seas. Because it is now highly endangered, only a small percentage of its eggs can be lawfully sold.
The beluga sturgeon can take up to two decades to mature and reach adult size! According to Guinness World Records, the most expensive caviar ever recorded came from an albino beluga fish that was matured (perhaps 100 years old!) and whose white caviar cost for almost $34,500 per kilogramme. Because the sturgeon eggs must be picked by hand, caviar has an acquired taste. It is also pricey. Sturgeon eggs, on the other hand, are almost entirely sourced from fish farms.
3. Moose Cheese
Cost: $ 500-600 per pound
Moose cheese is one of the most costly cheeses in the world, and it is only made in one location: the Moose House farm in Sweden. It can only be made using moose milk. Moose cheese is white in colour and resembles feta cheese in appearance.
The cheese is made from the milk of three moose that live on the farm in northern Sweden. Jullan, June, and Helga are the names of the animals, and milking just one of them takes two hours per day. Only from May through September are moose milked. The peculiar cheese is sold for around $ 500-600 per pound at the most prestigious Swedish restaurants. Every year, farmers produce little over 300 kg of cheese.
4. Wagyu Beef
Cost : $200 per pound
If you’ve ever seen Wagyu beef on a menu, you’re definitely aware of its high price. What exactly is Wagyu beef? To grasp the principles of Wagyu beef, you’ll need a quick crash course in Japanese. “Wa” means Japanese and “gyu” means cow, so Wagyu literally translates to “Japanese cow.”
So, why are Japanese cows so much more expensive than their American counterparts?
The genetic makeup of Wagyu breeds of cows separated from other cows as much as 35,000 years ago, according to the American Wagyu Association (AWA). This strain was selected to have the highest percentage of intramuscular fat cells, making it a convenient energy source. Other cow breeds from throughout the world were combined with this isolated strain. In 1910, the final genetic mixing took place, yielding in the modern Wagyu beef strain that we know today.
However, wonderful American wagyu beef is now available, giving Japanese wagyu a run for its money. Matsusaka in Mie Prefecture produces the most costly cut of Japanese wagyu.
These Wagyu steaks from Japan are from virgin female cows. In 2002, a Matsusaka cow sold for 50 million yen, or about $400,000, at market.
5. Dry-Cured Iberian Ham
Cost – $392 per Kg
The most expensive ham in the world is Jamón Ibérico, which is made in Spain. The Iberian pig is fed only on acorns in Spain, and large areas have been set aside for them to graze. One kilogramme of dry-cured jamon costs roughly €365 ($392) on average.
Pigs, of a particular breed known as black Iberian pigs, are the reason for its renown. They eat largely acorns during their lives, which are abundant in this part of the Sierra, and this is what gives this ham its distinct flavour. Black Iberian pigs are descended from wild boars and have long been regarded as a delicacy. Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer, commended their outstanding quality in the year 77. Christopher Columbus carried Iberian pigs onboard his caravels when he sailed across the Atlantic for the second time in 1493. The most expensive of them all costs 4,100 euros (about $4,500). Despite its exorbitant price, though, this ham is a local favourite.
6. White Truffles
Cost – $6,000 to $10,000. Per pound
Truffles are a must-have on any list of the world’s most costly foods. We’re not talking about chocolate truffles here; we’re talking about the kind that pigs dig up; black truffles are known as black diamonds, but white truffles are even more valuable. These fungus are a favourite delicacy in Italy’s Piedmont and Tuscany regions, as well as in Tuscany.
Locals utilise truffle pigs or pricey canines like the Lagotto Romagnolo to seek out tuber magnatum, or Alba white truffles. The price of a pound of fresh white winter truffles ranges from $6,000 to $10,000.
Chefs use white truffles because they are so pricey. Fresh white truffle can be grated on omelettes or used as a great salad dressing. White truffle butter is a terrific product to have on hand in the kitchen.
7. Japanese Wagyu Steaks
Cost: $200 per pound
Wagyu steaks, created from Japanese cattle, are one of the world’s most delicious and expensive delicacies. The meat has a wonderful scent, the second highest possible marbling score, and a well-known buttery texture. Massages, beer, and classical music are all offered to the purebred Wagyu bull-calves used to make the meat in Japan.
This is wagyu beef, one of the world’s most costly meats. High-grade wagyu, which is produced in Japan and praised for its rich marbling and buttery flavour, can cost up to $200 per pound, with the cows themselves fetching up to $30,000. But what is it in the meat that makes it so expensive?
The phrase wagyu means “Japanese cow” in English. And it relates to four different breeds. These cows were bred to have more intramuscular fat cells because they were raised for physical endurance. wagyu beef looks pink and tastes soft because the fat is spread more evenly throughout the muscle. In addition, the Japanese government strictly supervises wagyu production in order to maintain the meat’s worth and purity.
8. Black Watermelon
Cost: $250 to $6,000 per melon
This unusual Japanese fruit, also known as a Densuke Melon, is one of the most expensive foods. These watermelons hail from Hokkaido and have a sweet and crisp flavour. Because these watermelons require a lot of space and months of care, just around 100,000 are accessible each year. Densuke Watermelons can cost up to $6,000 at auction because of their scarcity.
They are extremely rare, with fewer than a hundred occurring each year. The Densuke watermelon is the most expensive watermelon in the world, with prices ranging from $250 to $6,000 per melon. This fruit’s final price reflects the amount of time and effort put into its cultivation.
9. Ayam Cemani Black Chicken
Cost: $200 per chick
Although the Ayam Cemani chicken is bred in Indonesia, it is not exported due to concerns that it could spread bird flu. This kind of fowl is so uncommon that a single chick in Indonesia costs around $200. Outside of the country, this cost can run into thousands of dollars. In Malaysia, however, the Ayam Cemani is so popular that it costs no more than a regular chicken.
The breed was created in Indonesia, where it is retained by society’s top levels. It is supposed to have mystical properties and is highly prized in Asian cultures. They are currently a rather rare bird that is extremely difficult to obtain; respectable US breeders are sold out till 2019.
According to the “Phoenix New Times,” a pair of Black Indonesian Ayam Cemani Chickens can set you back $5,000, making them quite pricey.
The Ayam Cemani is frequently identified with the Kedu breed group from Java’s central plains. It’s thought to be a descendant of the Ayam Bekisar chicken, which may be found on a limited range of Indonesian islands.
10. Saffron
Cost: Price may vary drastically regionally
If your rice is a brilliant yellow colour, it’s likely that it’s been cooking in the same pot as saffron. The rich crimson stigma (or threads) from a crocus flower are utilised as a food colouring additive, and the spice is dubbed ‘Red Gold.’ Why is it that something so insignificant costs so much?
It is more expensive than gold on a weight-for-weight basis. The reasons are straightforward: Saffron crocuses only bloom for a week or two each year in the autumn; collecting the spice is time-consuming (it’s harvested and processed by hand); and each little flower has only three stigmas, implying that a kilogramme of saffron requires around two football fields of crocuses. That’s as many as 300,000 flowers!
Also Read: Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid breakup, report says after 2 years of dating.