We often hear about fine-dining restaurants that cost an arm and a leg to eat at. Part of this is the experience that patrons receive when visiting such an establishment, another part might be the training and skills of the chef making the food. But there’s also the ingredient list to take into account when eating at expensive venues.
Not all ingredients are abundant, and many might only grow in certain regions or might be extremely difficult to grow and/or harvest. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most expensive ingredients in the world right now.
White Italian Truffles
Most people are aware that truffles tend to be quite expensive to buy, but Alba White Italian Truffles sit at the top of the pile when it comes to cost. People have tried to grow truffles in a commercial setting for decades, but due to the precise set of conditions they need to grow, they’re only found in the wild, and only rarely. Alba Italian Truffles are even more difficult to find, as they only grow for a certain period of the year in a small area of Italy, meaning that they can often go for as much as $2000 for half a kilogram.
Saffron
With a unique scent and a delicious flavour, saffron has long been associated with high-class dining. The main reason for the extreme cost of saffron is due to the incredible amount of labour it takes to harvest enough saffron, even for just a single dish. To harvest around 400 grams of saffron, it would mean harvesting a football field’s worth of the flowers. Top-grade saffron can sell as much as $10 for just a single gram, making it even more expensive than gold.
Almas Caviar
Caviar is a kind of fish egg that has been enjoyed by the upper class for many decades, and most common caviar is harvested from the beluga sturgeon. But when it comes to expense, nothing quite tops the caviar that’s harvested from Iranian Almas sturgeons, which are found exclusively in the Caspian Sea.
This is taken one step further, as some caviar is taken from the ultra-rare albino sturgeons that are over a century old. This makes it just about the world’s most expensive ingredient, coming in at $25000 for just 1 kilogram of the caviar, the kind of money usually boasted by those that win on sports betting NZ sites.
Wagyu Beef
Most people in the world love beef, but the rib eye found at the local superstore is nothing compared to the Japanese Wagyu beef that has become a favourite for those that can afford it. Part of Wagyu’s popularity is thanks to the unique marbling that the cuts consist of, allowing the meat to cook in such a way that the end product is juicy, tender, and packed with flavour. But the best Wagyu in the world is Kobe Wagyu, and while normal cuts can go for $100 for 450 grams, the Kobe variety is more expensive at $300 for 450 grams.
