The most expensive spice in the world is saffron. True saffron comes from the stamens of a plant in the crocus family (Crocus sativus). Saffron, called false or Imeritian, is also made from the stamens of marigold flowers. The stamens are collected by hand and then dried. To obtain half a kilogram of spice you need 225,000 stamens. To elevate a dish designed for three to five people, no more than six stamens of real saffron are enough. Imeritinsk saffron is used in significantly larger quantities and does not give such an aroma. One kilogram of real saffron costs about 6 thousand dollars.
The most expensive nut in the world is the macadamia. Once a staple food for the Australian Aborigines, macadamia nuts have now become a delicious and very healthy delicacy. Only two types of these nuts are cultivated (there are plantations in Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Hawaii and the southern USA). The height of the macadamia tree reaches 40 meters, it bears fruit for up to 100 years, but peeling the nut from the shell is not an easy task. Due to difficulties in breeding and extracting the delicacy, no more than 40 tons are produced per year. The cost of one kilogram of macadamia, even in its historical homeland, exceeds $30.
The most expensive caviar in the world is not black at all. And not even the rare gray one. The most expensive is Almas, an albino beluga caviar, occasionally exported from Iran. One hundred grams of caviar, packed in an indispensable jar of pure gold, will cost the buyer about 2 thousand dollars.
As you know, the most expensive mushroom in the world is the white truffle. It is impossible to set any exact price per kilogram of this delicacy, because almost every large mushroom is sold at auction. Sometimes this does not benefit either the customers or the product. So, in 2004, a mushroom weighing 850 grams, purchased for 28 thousand pounds sterling... simply went rotten. The inconsolable buyer buried it in the garden in the hope that a new giant would grow in its place, but was subsequently forced to transfer the remains to the homeland of the deceased, in Tuscany. In early November 2007, three Hong Kong tycoons chipped in to purchase a 750-gram mushroom for $209,000 (so far the most money ever paid for a truffle). Nothing terrible happened to this specimen: it was safely cooked and eaten at an exclusive truffle banquet where families and friends of the tycoons gathered.
It would seem that ordinary potatoes cannot cost exorbitant thousands! Nothing like this. Resourceful peasants living on the island of Nurmuatie annually harvest no more than 100 tons of the "La Bonnotte" variety per year. Since the divine tuber (and according to legend, it was this variety that was bred by the supreme god of the Incas) is exceptionally delicate, it can only be collected by hand. The most expensive potatoes in the world cost approximately 500 euros per kilogram.
The most expensive meat in the world is beef. And not simple, but marble. Moreover, it must be from Japanese Wagiu cows. For centuries, these cows were bred only in Japan, near the city of Kobe, treated with respect and fed only the best herbs, and were given sake rubbish and beer daily. For a long time, the Japanese did not export cattle for breeding, but now Wagiu cows are bred in Australia. But this only had an upward impact on the cost of meat: to improve the quality of the product, Australian farmers began giving their cows red wine ($16 per bottle). 200 grams of fillet costs more than $100 in Europe. Some especially tender pieces sell for a thousand dollars.
The most expensive sandwich in the world is proudly called the von Essen Platinum Club Sandwich. You can try it for 100 pounds (almost $200) at the Von Essen hotels. This sandwich is really tasty, because it contains: Iberian ham, Bresse poulard, white truffles, quail eggs, dried Italian tomatoes and bread prepared with a special sourdough.
The most expensive pizza in the world, “Luis XIII,” is offered by the young Italian chef Renato Viola. It costs 8300 euros. According to the author, “this price is not exaggerated, considering the exclusive products and two people who come to your home to prepare it.” Pizza, except for the base, is prepared in the presence of the client. The composition includes: buffalo mozzarella, three types of caviar, as well as red lobster, shrimp and lobster (all this, of course, is elite and very expensive). Even the salt in this pizza is not ordinary or even sea salt, but Australian pink "Murray River".
The most expensive omelet in the world can be eaten in the restaurant of the New York hotel "Le Parker Meridien". It costs a thousand dollars. In addition to the eggs themselves, the omelet contains whole lobsters. It is served on a bed of fried potatoes and garnished with ten ounces of stellate sturgeon caviar.
The most expensive dessert in the world is served at the New York restaurant "Serendipity 3". Creamy ice cream made with 25 types of cocoa, decorated with whipped cream, pieces of edible gold, and a small chocolate bar "La Madeline au Truffle" from Knipschildt Chocolatier, served in a glass decorated with a gold rim and diamonds with a gold spoon, also trimmed with diamonds. This magnificence costs 25 thousand dollars. You must notify in advance if you want to try dessert. By the way, the client can take the empty dishes with him.
The most expensive chocolate in the world is called "Chocopologie by Knipschildt". It is produced in the USA by Knipschildt Chocolatier. Naturally, this is dark chocolate. Naturally, it is not intended for long-term storage: after all, in order for confectionery products not to spoil longer, it is necessary to use cheaper ingredients, which is unacceptable in “haute couture chocolate making.” For a pound (453 grams) of "Chocopologie by Knipschildt" you will have to pay $2,600.
The most expensive coffee in the world - "Kopi Luwak" - is made from beans not of any unique variety, but rather of a unique life path. "Kopi" means "coffee" in Indonesian, and "Luwak" is a small animal, a type of civet, a member of the civet family. Luwak is a small predator, but loves to eat ripe fruits of the coffee tree, and chooses the best ones. He eats much more coffee than he can digest. Undigested grains, passing through the animal's intestines, are exposed to its enzymes and, as Kopi Luwak lovers swear, acquire a unique taste and aroma. A kilogram of coffee, which was helped by Luwak, costs from 300 to 400 dollars. The majority of consumers of this variety, as is usually the case with all expensive food products, live in Japan.
The most expensive tea in the world is called Dahongpao, which translates to “Big Red Robe.” It belongs to oolongs (strongly fermented teas with intense taste and aroma). The “Big Red Robe” is obtained from the leaves of only six bushes growing near the Tianxin Monastery. The age of these unique bushes is 350 years. Every year, no more than 500 grams of the legendary tea were collected, the cost of the finished product reached .685 thousand dollars per kilogram. In 2005, 20 grams of tea (four spoons) were sold at an auction in Fujian province for 208 thousand yuan (about 25 thousand dollars), and a week earlier the same amount was sold for 24 thousand dollars. In 2006, the entire harvest was transferred for storage to the Chinese National Tea Museum, and a moratorium was declared on further collection. From now on, no one will be able to enjoy Dahongpao tea. However, since the 80s of the last century, mother bushes began to be propagated vegetatively. The tea obtained from them is also called “Big Red Robe”, but experts believe that it cannot be compared with the real Dahunpao.
The world's most expensive tea bag was created by English jewelers in honor of the 75th anniversary of the PG tea company. The bag is hand-decorated with 280 diamonds. It costs 7 and a half thousand pounds sterling. The bag was part of a prize draw to fund the construction of a children's hospital in Manchester.
The most expensive champagne in the world - "Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque Blanc de Blanc" - is made from special grapes that are harvested only from two small plots of the Cotes des Blancs vineyard. It is created only in the years of the best grape harvest. In 2007, only 156 bottles of this drink, hand-painted in the art nouveau style, were imported into Russia. Each 0.75 liter bottle costs about a thousand euros.
The most expensive whiskey in the world - "The Macallan Fine&Rare Vintage" 60-year-old, bottled in 1926 - you cannot buy for any money. However, its price is known: 38 thousand dollars. Those interested are invited to buy for more than 10 thousand an analogue of the coveted drink - "Macallan Fine & Rare" produced in 1938.
The world's most expensive rum was bottled in 1940 by the Jamaican company Wray & Nephew. Now there are only four tanks left, each of which is valued at 53 thousand dollars. It is with this rum that the famous “Mai Tai” cocktail is prepared, which, naturally, is also becoming more and more expensive every day.
Despite the fact that the "Diamonds-Are-Forever" cocktail is not mixed with the rarest ingredients, it is the most expensive to date - 11 thousand euros per glass. The thing is that the traditional olive is replaced by a 1.6-carat diamond. You can order this alcoholic jewelry miracle at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Tokyo.
The most expensive beer in the world - Belgian "Vieille Bon Secours" - can be purchased at the Bierdrome bar in London. A bottle costs about a thousand dollars, a pint costs $79.
The most expensive vodka in the world, "Diva", is prepared by Scottish craftsmen in compliance with all conceivable and inconceivable rules. It is filtered through northern birch charcoal, and for complete purification - through sand and crumbs of diamonds and other precious stones. A standard bottle is decorated with cubic zircons, but at the customer’s request they can be replaced with any other gems. Depending on the cost of jewelry, the price of a bottle also varies - from the standard 400 to 1000 dollars.
The world's most expensive drinking water is called "Kona Nigari" and is obtained not from artesian wells or glaciers, but from the depths of the ocean off the coast of Hawaii. Sea water is desalinated, purified and bottled in 0.06 or 5 liter bottles. A large bottle will cost more than $2,000, while a small bottle will cost only $33 and a half. The funny thing is that you can’t just drink it: before drinking “Kona Nigari” you need to dilute it with plain water.
