Have you ever wondered how hugely expensive can a food item be? Well, you will be surprised to know that a single dish of certain delicacies can cost several lakhs of rupees. Here are some food items in the world that will cost you a small fortune.
Lets take a look at the top 10 most expensive food items in the world:-
1) White Truffles:-
With the price of €7000 per Kg, white truffle is considered one of the most expensive foods in the world. It is generally served with scrambled eggs, butter and Parmesan, or risotto. White truffle is found abundantly in Italy, France and the Pacific Northwest.
2) Saffron:-
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Kashmiri Saffron is sold at Rs. 540000 Per Kg. Saffron is so expensive because it is harvested manually. Also, it takes 75,000 saffron flowers to make one pound of saffron spice as only a small part of the flower is used. Moreover, the cultivation of Saffron takes up to 3 years! Iran is the world’s leading producer of Saffron, followed by India.
3) Almas Caviar:-
This is the most expensive Caviar. It is produced from the eggs of a rare female albino sturgeon between 60 and 100 years old, that swims in the southern Caspian Sea near Iran.
Almas Caviar is sold in a 24 karat gold tin packaging. This specific Caviar costs $25,000.
4) Bird’s Nest (Red):-
The Chinese bird’s nest soup is loved by foodies all across the globe. This soup, made from the saliva of Swiftlet birds, is served in 3 colours: Red, Yellow and White. The red bird nest soup is the most expensive of all. A bowl of this red bird’s nest soup costs $10,000. It is also considered the most delicious among the three varieties. This soup is considered a national cuisine in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.
5) Kopi Luwak coffee:-
Kopi Luwak, or civet coffee is the most expensive coffee in the world. It costs over $700 per Kg. The making process of Kopi Luwak is really peculiar. Civet cats (Asian palm civet) are fed coffee seeds, and the partly digested coffee beans are collected from their feces. It is believed that the partial digestion and fermentation caused by the animal’s stomach acid enhances the flavour of the coffee. It is mainly produced in the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, and in East Timor.
6) Bluefin Tuna:-
It is one of the most expensive sea-foods in the world. One pound of bluefin tuna is sold over $4000.The bluefin tuna is a critically endangered species prone to extinction and it does not breed in captivity. This is what makes it so expensive. A majority of the Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tunas are consumed in Japan as Bluefin tuna sashimi is a particular delicacy of this country.
7) Iberico ham:-
It is produced in Spain and Portugal from free range pigs that are fed only acorns during the last phases of their lives. The ‘black label’ ham, produced from pure-bred Iberian pigs, is regarded as the best. The fresh ham is processed with salt, sugar, sodium nitrate, sodium erythorbate, sodium phosphate, potassium chloride, water and flavorings for 36 months before serving. A leg of this ham can cost over $4,500.
8) Foie gras:-
Foie gras is a pricey food made from duck or goose liver. It is sold over nearly $40-80 per pound. The geese costs more than duck. The liver is fattened up to ten times of its normal size by gavage feeding. The geese and ducks are force-fed corn through feeding tubes for this purpose. Many countries are imposing strict laws against this practice. France is the largest producer as well as consumer of foie gras.
9) Matsutake Mushrooms:-
It costs $600 per Kg. Matsutake mushrooms mainly grow in Japan. However, its number is significantly decreasing due to habitat loss. Matsutake mushroom has been placed in the red list of threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN] for the first time this year.
10) Ayam Cemani Black Chicken:-
It is an uncommon chicken breed found in Indonesia. The feathers, beak, meat, bones and alll other internal organs of this chicken are black. The eggs are unusually large. One Ayam Cemani chick costs around $200 in Indonesia. Outside the country, this price can reach thousands of dollars.
These were the top 10 most expensive food items in the world.