Good food makes us happy. Doesn’t it. I was just wondering about how much would a person be willing to pay for his/her favorite food item. So i wen’t around and did some research, and the findings blew me away. There are some really exquisite food ingredients out there. Ever imagined anyone would pay 2 Million Rupees ($20,000) for a pair of melons or 15,000 PKR ($150) for the oil they use in their meal. Here is a list of some of the most expensive food items you can find around the world and they cost a fortune
1. Saffron (Zaafran)
What makes this spice really pricey is sheer exclusivity of its availability. This spice is made from stigma of flower from Saffron plant. The process itself is labor intensive. Each flower gives away only 3 tiny threads of Saffron, imagine the number of flowers required for one kilogram of Saffron. But the complexity just doesn’t end there. There need to be proper weather conditions and timing for rain to have ideal timing and condition through out the year for the saffron plant to grow healthy flowers.
Saffron is widely used to add flavors to Arabic, Persian and Greek food. Now if you wish to add this spice to your food; one kg of Saffron would set you back by $3500
2. Black Caviar
Caviar is one of the most talked about when it comes to luxury food. These are processed, salted and non-fertilized eggs of the Beluga Sturgeon fish found in Caspian and Black sea. It is considered the most expensive Caviar you can find due to its rarity. It was once the specialty food enjoyed only by royalty and wealthy elite and now commonly served in top notch restaurants usually as an appetizer.
It has a unique taste and texture; and eating it for the first time can be a challenge. It is served in amounts smaller than a tablespoon due to the overwhelming taste.
100 g of Sturgeon Caviar would cost you north of 200$. In case you end up ordering some via amazon.com, make sure to use only wooden or ceramic utensils since contact with steel ruins the taste
3. White Truffles
These are the fruiting body of an underground mushroom. To acquire these, truffle hunters usually take along pigs or trained dogs to trace them in open grounds. It has a unique nutty savory flavor. Thin shavings of white truffle are usually used to garnish dishes heavy on egg, butter and cheese.
These are crazy expensive, usually costing around $10,000 to $20,000 per pound. However, a record was set when a unique white truflle weighing 1.5 kg was bought by a Macau Casino owner for $330,000 in 2007. Yup that is right, all that fortune of wealth for 1.5 kg of food garnish.
4. Yubari King Melons
These delicious and exotic melons are a specialty fruit from Japan. Cultivated as a hybrid of two different cantaloupe cultivars. Yubari Melons are known for its size and the unmistakable sweetness. Usually sold in a perfectly matched pair of two fruits. In 2008, a pair of these melons was sold for a staggering 2.5 million Yen (about 20,000 $ for 2 melons!)
5. Lambda (Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Branded as the worlds first luxury olive oil, it is produced by a Greek luxury food and beverage company: Speiron. Claimed to be obtained from the oldest olive trees in the world. The Koroneiki olives used to produce Lambda are handpicked to ensure ultra-low acidity and to retain its stunning flavor. They are pressed within 10 hours of being picked. This costs about $150 (PKR 15,000) a liter.
