Money can't buy happiness, or so it's said, but it can buy some excellent comfort food to help ease your pain. If your dining out budget only extends to your local takeaway and your groceries consist primarily of rice, carrots and cabbage, feel free to drool over the list of the world's most expensive foods. If caviar is a stock item in your pantry, however, perhaps you'll get some new ideas for your next dinner party.
When it comes to mushrooms, it doesn't get any more expensive than the Japanese matsutake variety. Matsutake mushrooms go for around 00 per pound but can reach up to 00 per pound. And, seeing as how fewer mushrooms grow each year, the price can only go upwards. The mushrooms only grow under certain trees, which are slowly being destroyed by insects. No way has been found to save the trees and no way has been found to grow the mushrooms under controlled conditions.
Japan is also the home of the world's most expensive steak, which comes from Wagyu or Kobe cattle. The cattle are reported to live on a diet of beer and are massaged by hand every day to ensure that the meat is extra tender. Their pampered lifestyle not only drives up the price of the meat, it also increases the fat content. So if you suffer from high cholesterol you have a very good excuse not to fork out between 0 and 00 (restaurant depending) on a prize steak.
It seems that if you want to put a serious dent in your wallet food-wise then Japan is the place to be. Another rare and treasured food is the Dansuke watermelon, which is only found on Hokkaido Island. It's a black watermelon variety and harvests usually yield less than 100 melons per year. The most anyone has ever paid for a Dansuke watermelon is 00.
Staying with melons, and also staying in Japan, we have Yubari melons. In 2008, a pair of melons were auctioned for 872.
And now we get to caviar, the most expensive of which is Iran's Almas caviar. Almas caviar is a form of Beluga caviar, which means that it's white (as opposed to black) and has a richer, silkier texture than its plainer counterparts. You can only buy it from Caviar House & Prunier in Picadilly, London, where it is sold in a 24-carat gold tin for around 600, although you can get a smaller tin for around 80.
Thanks to celebrity chefs, most of us are familiar with truffles, at least in theory if not in practice. We know that it is extremely expensive, but few of us know just how much it costs. Well, an Italian White Alba Truffle (weighing in at 1.51kg or 3.3lbs) sold for 0 406. Not all truffles are that dear, of course, but if you're on a budget go for black truffles as they are cheaper than the white varieties.
Macadamias are the most expensive nuts in the world as they are somewhat rare and difficult to cultivate. Trees need to mature before they start producing nuts and that process can take between seven and ten years. Even then trees only flourish under the right conditions: plenty of rain and rich fertile soil. Expect to pay around per kilogram.
The most expensive potatoes come from France and are called La Bonnotte. Cultivation is limited to the island of Noirmoutier and only around 100 tonnes are produced annually. Like macadamia nuts, these potatoes are somewhat fussy about the conditions under which they grow; only seaweed serves as fertiliser and they only grow near the coast. One kilogram will set you back about 9.
Cooking shows have also taught us that saffron is a pretty expensive spice. And, apparently, it only has a slight taste, so is lost on most palettes. Expect to pay between 0 and 00 per pound.
Coffee is not, strictly speaking, a food, but the price of one particular variety is high enough to make the list. Kopi Luwak is harvested from berries, not beans, and before it can be used to kick start your caffeine infused day it needs to be eaten and excreted by the Asian Palm Civet. It passes through the civet whole but the process will set you back 0 per pound.
Money may not buy happiness, but the prices on some of these food items is enough to make you weep.
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