Read this and you’ll instantly feel better about last week’s grocery bill.
We all know caviar and saffron are among the priciest ingredients in the world, but what other delicacies do top chefs shell out for?
1. White Alba Truffle
There’s the luxury black truffle you might have had grated over your buttered tagliatelle, and then there’s the trifola d’Alba Madonna, or white Alba truffle, which grows in Italy. The most expensive tuber told for $330,000US in 2007.
2. Beluga caviar
Siberian sturgeon caviar is one of the most expensive foods on the planet, prized for its salty, earthy taste. Iranian Beluga caviar is officially the world’s most expensive – a kilo will set you back 20,000 pounds. If you’re up for a splurge, a 30g tin from The Truffle Man costs a whopping $157. The best way to taste it? Spoon a little on to your hand and eat at body temperature.
3. Caciocavallo Podolico
There are a few varieties of caciocavallo around, but it’s the Podolica, named for the free-range cows in comes from, is the priciest. The cave aged stretch-curd cheese has a tear-drop shape and taste slightly similar to provolone. It sells for around $140 per kilogram.
4. Edible gold
For when you’re so flush, it’s not just enough to wear your bling, you need to eat it. Typically found garnishing ridiculously priced ice-cream sundaes in American casinos (it’s a thing, really), you can buy a few grams for roughly $70.
5. Ethical foie gras
Ultra rich and fatty, foie gras is typically made from force-fed goose liver. It’s ethically questionable, but there are growing alternatives. In Spain, La Pateria de Sousa’s “ethical foie gras” goes for up to $700 per kilogram.
6. Gooseneck barnacles
From Galicia, gooseneck barnacles are insanely hard to harvest, with fisherman risking their lives to pick them off surf-smashed rocks. A good harvest can pull in more than $500 per kilogram.
7. Iranian pistachios
Bright green pistachios are prized for their sublte taste and good looks, but 1kg of the good ones can set you back up to $153. Overseas, Australian-grown macadamias are considered once of the most expensive nuts.
8. Jamon Iberico de Bellota
Got a spare $3,600? You too could purchase a leg of buttery, umami-rich jamon, made from acorn-fed Iberico pigs raised in western Spain.
9. Japanese Kobe beef
Intensely fat-rippled Miyazaki Wagyu beef is considered the best in Japan. In Las Vegas, one ounce (28 grams) grams goes for up to $33US, so a standard 200gm steak can costs as much as $240US.
10. Kopi luwak
The most expensive coffee in the world is passes through the digestive system of a civet (a cat like creature) before it reaches your cup. There’s heaps of counterfeit version on the market, but expect to pay around $150US for a 100 grams of beans to make a musky brew.
11. Matsutake mushrooms
Japan’s answer to black truffles, matsutake mushrooms have a spicy aroma and can be sold for as much as $2,000 per kilogram.
12. Saffron
Native to Greece, the prized stem of the crocus must be harvested by hand, but is now mainly harvested in Iran. Sydney spice merchant Herbie’s sells half a gram for $9.90.
13. Swiftlet nests
If you haven’t heard of swiftlets, you’ve probably heard of bird’s nest soup, the popular Chinese delicacy lauded as a cure-all. A bowl made with the white nests is a steal at $2000US, when you compare it to one made with the prized red swiftlet nests, which can fetch up to $10,000.
14. Aceto balsamic vinegar
Just like oils ain’t oils, all vinegars certainly aren’t equals either. Tradtional balsamic vinegar, made in Italy’s Modena region, will always carry a D.O.P. certifying that it is a legitimate product and be labeled as “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale.” An aged 100ml bottle usually costs around $180 or upwards.
