The World’s 5 Most Expensive Foods

 

Now we all love food don’t get me wrong, and who can beat a nice meal in a more upmarket restaurant?

But paying over $600 for a burger, or $150 for a pizza seems ludicrous – though if you have the money, why not!

Here we’re going to look at some of the world’s most expensive foods, obviously, this doesn’t list every type of food by any means but I’ve chosen some of the world’s favorites and those that are most common.

So let’s begin!

#1 Wagyu beef

Wagyu beef is the world’s most expensive beef, costing around $275 per lb for the meat itself, and a 2000 vintage cote de boeuf, or rib steak, costing $3200.

Why is it so pricey? Apparently, for the steak at least, it’s due to the very small numbers of hanging aged Wagyu ribs and the very low-stress levels the cattle are put through both during slaughter, with a specially designed abattoir, and during rearing. 

Wagyu beef itself must come from a specific breed of Japanese cattle with incredibly high-fat marbling, allowing the meat to in essence melt in your mouth.

There are, however budget versions offering Wagyu beef burgers at $4.40 for a pack of 2.

Civet coffee

Civet coffee or Kopi Luwak is a type of coffee derived from Coffee cherries that have already passed through the South Asian palm civet or Civet cat’s digestion system and a quick search puts the price at about $75 per 9-ounce packs.

The cats eat the cherries for the fleshy pulp, and as the bean travels through its digestive system the enzymes seep into the beans causing them to change.

After gathering, thorough washing, sun drying, roasting and brewing, these beans have a distinct flavor that’s much less bitter.

Saffron spice

Saffron holds the title of the most expensive spice, with Spanish Saffron for example costing around $300 an ounce in Walmart.

Saffron comes from the saffron crocus, this flower bears up to four flowers with each having three vivid crimson stigmas, these stigmas are handpicked, dried and then air sealed which kind of explains the price.

One pound is the equivalent of 80,000 flowers or one acre, so use it sparingly.

Truffles & mushrooms

Truffles are one of the most expensive ingredients in the world, with white costing more than the black varieties.

Truffles are held very highly in society and are incredibly tasty but in many people’s opinion the price is nothing more than a status symbol with white truffles costing up to $1,400 per pound.

The Perigord, a black truffle, for example costs $1.47 – and it long weighs 0.03 ounce!

Matsasuke, a prized Japanese answer to the black truffle, holds the title for the world’s most expensive mushroom, costing around $1,000 per pound.

Belugan caviar

The most expensive of all caviar and the world’s most expensive food is “Almas” or Belugan Caviar which comes from the Iranian Beluga fish – a sturgeon.

A kilogram (2.2lbs) of “black gold” is sold for over $28,850. Almas is produced from a 60-100 years old rare albino sturgeon’s eggs which swam in the southern Caspian Sea which is much less polluted.