14 Most Expensive Foods in the World
List of the most expensive foods in the world with fantastic prices/Photo: Special
14 Most Expensive Foods in the World whose Prices Make Your Pockets Cry, Can Be Equivalent to Buying a Luxury House! Some people may ask, why are there people who are willing to spend more money just for a portion of food? Apparently, they don't just pay for food to fill their stomachs, but also buy the experience of taste and sensation when eating the dish.
There are various factors that are the main reasons why food is priced so expensively, such as using high quality ingredients, scarcity of ingredients, and the very long manufacturing process.
So, what are these foods? Launching from Delicious, here is a series of foods that have fantastic prices in the world. Listen, come on!
1. Bluefin Tuna
Bluefin tuna sashimi/ Photo: Unsplash.com/Wesual Click
Sushi lovers may be familiar with this dish. In Japan, bluefin tuna is usually eaten as sushi or sashimi. It has a soft and buttery texture, making this dish a favorite of many people. Interested in tasting this dish, Beauties need to spend USD 1,500 per kilo or around IDR 23.2 million. In fact, in January 2024, in Tokyo, a giant bluefin tuna weighing 238 kilograms was sold at auction for USD 788,440 or the equivalent of IDR 12.2 billion. Wow, that's the price of a luxury house! Unfortunately, overfishing of bluefin tuna in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans has made this type of fish an endangered species.
2. White Alba Truffles
White alba truffle/ Photo: themaplecuttingboard.com
Truffle mushrooms are known as the most expensive mushrooms in the world. The Italian white alba type is said to be the most exclusive truffle mushroom.
The main reason this food is priced exorbitantly is because it is very rare. White alba truffles only grow in the Piedmont region and only appear for two months each year. Its distinctive aroma can add deliciousness to food.
To be able to enjoy these truffles, you need to spend more than USD 2,200 or IDR 34.1 million per ounce. In fact, white alba truffles were once sold for prices reaching USD 330,000 or around IDR 5.2 billion per kilogram.
Hmm, at that price it's better to buy a house or eat mushrooms, right, Beauties?
3. Caviar Almas
Almas caviar beluga albino/ Photo: Finedininglovers.com /Diana Lee
Caviar is a luxury food that is very popular with people who love fine dining. This luxurious dish is made from fish eggs from certain species. Fish eggs need to go through a series of processes and be salted. Especially almas caviar, comes from female albino beluga sturgeon fish around 60-100 years old which is very rare. This type of fish is usually only found in the cleanest Caspian Sea in Central Asia. Not surprisingly, Almas caviar is priced at more than USD 35,000 or IDR 542.5 million per kilogram. In fact, this white caviar was once sold for USD 113,630 or the equivalent of IDR 1.7 billion per kilogram.
4. Yubari King Melon
Yubari king melon/ Photo: The Japan News/The Yomiuri Shimbun
Not an ordinary melon, this melon has a very expensive price. Yubari king melon is the most popular type of melon in Japan with its distinctive aroma. The crunchy, juicy and sweet taste of this fruit is the reason why this fruit is so highly valued. One Yubari King melon is priced at USD 12,000 or IDR 186 million. In fact, this type of melon was once auctioned for prices reaching USD 20,000 or IDR 310 million.
5. Elvish Honey
Elvish honey/ Photo: guinnessworldrecords.com/Amanda Tang
Honey from Türkiye is considered the most expensive honey in the world. This honey is specially extracted from bee caves 1,800 meters deep in the city of Artvin. This honey does not involve beekeepers and is only produced naturally. Although the taste is not as sweet as honey in general, it even tends to be bitter. Elvish is the most expensive honey because the manufacturing process is natural and unique. Not surprisingly, this honey is sold for USD 6,800 or around Rp. 105 million per kilogram.
6. Jamon Iberico de Bellota
Jamon Iberico de Bellota/ Photo: Shutterstock/Mironov Vladimir
Jamon iberico is the name for ham made from pork thighs. This ham is a type of black pork that comes from Spain. To produce delicious ham, Iberico pigs are only fed corn and grain.
Its soft buttery texture and delicious taste make this ham considered a special dish. The price is USD 3,600 or around IDR 55.8 million per kilogram.
7. Ayam Cemani
Ayam cemani/ Photo: The New York Times/Tony Cenicola
This black chicken apparently comes from Indonesia. Many people believe that consuming cemani chicken can cure various diseases. The increasingly small and rare population makes this chicken sought after by many people. In America alone, one cemani chicken is sold for up to USD 2,500 or around Rp. 38.7 million depending on its size. This price is also considered very expensive for the size of one chicken.
8. Matsutake Mushrooms
Matsutake Mushrooms/ Photo: The Japan Times/Kyodo
More than just a mushroom, Matsutake is a luxurious food ingredient that can add deliciousness to dishes. This type of fungus usually grows under trees or on the roots of red pines and is about 10-20 cm long.
Just like other expensive foods, the price of matsutake mushrooms ranges from USD 1000 – USD 2000 or around IDR 15.5 million – IDR 31 million per kilogram. For Japanese people, Matsutake is considered a food that is a symbol of longevity in autumn celebrations.
9. Kobe Beef Wagyu
Kobe beef wagyu/ Photo: Live Japan
Wagyu is a Japanese term that is often used to refer to beef. This kobe meat comes from local Japanese cattle breeding and high quality cattle. This type of beef will produce kobe meat with a soft texture and good marbling.
Often a favorite food of sultans, the price of Kobe beef can reach USD 200 – USD 500 or around IDR 3.1 million to IDR 7.7 million per pound (500 grams) or can be even more expensive when in a restaurant.
10. Densuke Black Watermelon
Densuke black watermelon/ Photo: Getty Images/Grygorii Shvets
Unlike watermelons in general, the rind of this watermelon is black. The black densuke watermelon type is widely cultivated on Hokkaido Island. In Japan, this fruit is called densuke black watermelon which has crunchy flesh, fewer seeds, and a higher level of sweetness.
This type of watermelon is considered the most expensive in the world and is priced at around USD 250 – USD 350 or around IDR 3.5 million – IDR 5.5 million. In fact, in 2019, Densuke watermelons were sold at auction for US 6,000 or around Rp. 85 million, you know!
11. Swallow's Nest
Bird's nest soup/ Photo: Only Yen
Chinese people believe that consuming swallow's nest can have health benefits. A swallow's nest is made from a bowl-shaped pile of swallow's saliva which then dries. The price of swallow's nest varies quite a lot, depending on the size and type. In Indonesia itself, it is valued at IDR 1.2 million – IDR 14 million per kilogram. People usually process it into a special and delicious tasting bird's nest soup.
12. Foie Gras
Foie Gras/ Photo: Pinterest.com/Luca Piras
This expensive and luxurious food from France is made from the liver of a goose or duck that has been fattened so that it produces a lot of fat. Foie Gras is usually processed by grilling or mashing it and making it into a mousse. This dish is capable of producing a delicacy that is rich, savory and buttery when eaten.
Included in the luxury food range, a portion of foie gras is priced at around IDR 500 – IDR 700 thousand. Meanwhile, in some countries the price is around USD 200 or around IDR 3.1 million per pound. Unfortunately, this food has received a lot of criticism because the fattening process is considered cruel and tortures the animals, and in a number of countries this food is strictly prohibited for sale.
13. Abalone
Abalone/ Photo: Recipes.net/amthanhnhapkhaucomvn
Abalone itself is a type of shellfish or sea snail that only grows in cold waters such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the western side of North America. However, due to overfishing, abalone supplies are decreasing and are even threatened. Not surprisingly, abalone is sold at a relatively expensive price ranging from USD 35 – USD 97 or around IDR 542 thousand – IDR 1.5 million per kilogram. In fact, premium quality abalone can reach IDR 850 thousand per seed. In China, abalone is very famous and eating it is believed to bring good luck. Processed abalone is also often served during Chinese New Year celebrations.
14. Caciocavallo Podolico
Caciocavallo Podolico/ Photo: Taste Atlas
One of the most expensive cheeses in the world, caciocavallo podolico cheese is priced at USD 50 or around IDR 775 thousand per pound. Generally it is also called horse cheese even though it does not use horses at all. But it is made from the milk of a rare Italian breed of cow called Podolica. These cows are only breastfed for two months at the start of summer, then milked to make cheese. ***