10 Most Expensive Food Items Only The Rich Can Afford

1. Caviar

Caviar is a fancy, expensive food that you might immediately associate with. These fish eggs are known for being one of the most exquisite delicacies in the world. Guinness World Book of Records says that the 100-year-old albino sturgeon is the best-selling caviar. White caviar sells for $34,500 (Rs25 Lakhs) per kilogram. A fish in the Caspian Sea originally produced the rare caviar, but they are now almost extinct in their natural environment.

2. Wagyu Beef

MasterChef Australia will have you familiar with wagyu beef. It simply means “Japanese Beef”. It can be made from any of four breeds of Japanese cow. Wagyu beef is well-known for its rich marbling fat, which melts during cooking. The meat is tender, moist and melts in your mouth. The rearing process determines the price of the meat at around Rs40,000 per kilogram. To qualify for the Wagyu Mark, cows must be raised and fed following strict guidelines.

3. Matsutake Mushrooms

Matsutake mushrooms, like Wagyu beef, come from Japan. They are a rare and sweetly-spicy variety. It takes some time to get used to it. It’s not an easy task to grow this mushroom, so its price is so high. Matsutake mushrooms are only harvested once per year. There’s also a risk of pinewood parasite worms ruining their entire habitat. This mushroom is considered to be the most expensive in the world, with a price tag of up to $600 per kg (Rs 43,985)

4. Kopi Luwak

Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world. This coffee is worth its weight, coffee lovers! Civet coffee is a coffee made from coffee beans that have been eaten, partially digested, and excreted by the Asian pam civet or civet cat. The partly digested coffee beans are fermented in an animal’s stomach, which is believed to enhance the flavour of the coffee. Bags of kopi-luwak can be purchased as high as $700 per kilogram.

5. Vanilla

Vanilla A popular ice cream and dessert flavour, vanilla is one of the most expensive food in the world. The Madagascar vanilla pod, which has a vanillin level of 1 to 2 per cent, is the best. This is the most labour-intensive crop globally, and it can be purchased for as high as $600 (Rs43.985) per pound. The only day vanilla flowers, pollination must take place by hand. Storms are reducing the market for vanilla beans in Madagascar, which has led to skyrocketing costs.

6. Saffron

Saffron is the most expensive spice. It can be found in Saffron, Crocus Sativa, and Saffron crocus. They are only grown during autumn for seven days. After the flowers have been collected, they are gently dried. Saffron can be found in Asia and the Mediterranean. The unique sweet flavour of this spice is used in many dishes and gives it a royal feel. Saffron is more than $500 (Rs36.654) an ounce

7. Ayam Cemani Black chicken

Also known as the Goth chicken, Ayam Cemani Black Chicken is bred in Indonesia. This chicken is unique in its black skin, meat and bones. This rare chicken breed is extremely expensive in Indonesia, where one chick can be purchased for $200 (Rs14.661). The price of a chick can reach thousands of dollars outside Indonesia. A fear of bird flu has led to the ban on Ayam Cemani Black Chicken exports.

8. Moose cheese

Cheese is a highly prized food item. Exotics are often sold at outrageous prices. One of the most costly varieties of cheese is Moose cheese. It is made at the Moose House Farm, Sweden. It is prepared using 5 litres daily from May to September, which is the milk each moose produces. Only Gullan, Helga and Juno milk are used. It can only sell 300kg of cheese per annum, and it costs $1074 (Rs78.734) per kilogram.

9. Iberian Ham

Iberian ham has been acclaimed as the finest ham in the world and is a delicious delicacy. It is made from the rear leg and acorns of black pigs. The oleic acid in the acorns gives the ham its flavour. This ham is a rich, deep-red colour and has a unique flavour. It matures between 24 and 36 months. A whole leg of Iberian ham would cost you $4,500 (Rs3,298,891)

10. Black Watermelon

Green watermelon would have been a favourite, but what about black watermelon. It’s a Japanese speciality, and it’s the most expensive food item globally. This fruit is also known as Densuke Melon. It has a crisp taste. These watermelon plants are found on the island of Hokkaido and require space and lots to tend to. Inoue, if you aren’t sure, they are not black but a dark green shade that can often appear black. Each year, only 1,00,000. Black watermelons are made and sold at auction for $6,000 (Rs4,39855). These black watermelons are highly prized gifts for special occasions, such as weddings in Japan.

These are the most expensive foods you can buy in the world. They will certainly put a dent in your wallet. Let us know if you have tried any of these foods in the comments section below.