These days our food budget is not going very far, even for everyday foods. And yet, there are still those who seek out extravagant foods, regardless of price. I guess we can live vicariously through these pictures. Maybe someday someone will bestow a 4-pound white truffle upon us, but until then, this will have to suffice.
White Alba Truffle
The white Alba truffle is a prized tuber that grows in Italy and is considered even more luxurious than its black truffle counterpart. In fact, a single 3.3 pound white Alba truffle sold for a staggering US$330,000 in 2007. Fragrant and explosive in flavor, it is best treated simply, such as thinly shaved over a bowl of risotto, pasta or scrambled eggs.
Beluga Caviar
Beluga caviar, gathered from Siberian sturgeon, is one of the world’s most expensive foods, known for its salty, earthy flavor. Iranian Beluga caviar holds the title for the most expensive caviar, with a kilogram costing around $25,000. Purists will say to eat it all by itself. Mother-of-pearl spoons are the best tool; do not use metal which could introduce off-flavors.
Wagyu Beef
In Japan, intensely marbled Miyazaki Wagyu beef is considered the best, and it has become popular around the world. In Las Vegas, a single ounce (28 grams) can cost up to $33, making a standard 8-ounce steak cost about $250.
Edible Gold
For those with extravagant taste, edible gold is the perfect way to both flaunt and consume wealth. While it’s typically used as a garnish for overpriced menu items at restaurants here and there, a few grams can be purchased for roughly $70. Edible gold should be at least 23 karat. Anything less could have other inedible metals included. Take a look at this dish of Edible Champagne with Gold Leaf.
Kopi luwak Coffee
Kopi luwak is the world’s most expensive coffee, made from beans that have passed through the digestive system of a civet, a cat-like animal, and sometimes called “civet cat coffee”. Counterfeit versions of this coffee are rampant, but genuine Kopi luwak can cost around $150 for 100 grams of beans. The flavor is said to be musky, yet smooth, with a heavy body and caramel and and earthy notes that are beloved for connoisseurs. It has also been said to taste of the “jungle”. We will leave it to you to decide what that means.
Vanilla Beans
Vanilla beans are a beautiful and fragrant pod from a variety of orchid. They are labor intensive to create, requiring hand-pollination during a short window of time while the flower is blooming. The price will vary depending on type of vanilla bean and where they were grown, but prices can be as high as $10 a bean. Try vanilla bean in a simple shortbread cookie to highlight its delicate, floral flavors.
Foie Gras
Foie gras, a rich and fatty delicacy, is typically made from force-fed goose liver. There are now ethical alternatives emerging, such as La Pateria de Sousa’s “ethical foie gras” from Spain, which can cost up to $700 per kilogram (a little over 2 pounds). Sousa’s farm provides an abundance of foods to his geese, all of which grow on the property, including figs to acorns. Herbs such as yellow bush lupine seeds give his foie gras the characteristically yellow color of foie gras that is usually produced through the force-feeding process using corn.
Gooseneck Barnacles
Gooseneck barnacles (Percebes) from Galicia, Spain are incredibly difficult to harvest, with fishermen risking their lives to collect them from surf-smashed rocks. As a result, a good harvest can fetch over $500 per kilogram. To prepare, they can be simply steamed in a flavorful stock. To eat, pierce the outer skin near the “hoof,” tearing it off with your fingernails, and then bite off the entire pink stalklike flesh. Sounds odd, we know, but aficionados say they are delectable.
Matsutake Mushrooms
Matsutake mushrooms, Japan’s answer to black truffles, can be sold for up to $2,000 per kilogram. They are at their peak in autumn and are prized for their meaty texture, strong, even spicy aroma, and earthy, piney taste. They are so beloved, they are even given as gifts. Their cost is due to several reasons. An invasive worm has attacked those in the wild, and yet they are also difficult to cultivate. In addition they only produce one harvest a year.
Saffron
Saffron is a valuable spice, with a subtle and fragrant aroma and flavor, derived from the flower of the crocus sativus plant, also known as the “saffron crocus.” Although believed to have originated in Greece, it is now primarily cultivated in Iran, Greece, Morocco, and India. While some small-scale production of saffron exists in the United States, most of the saffron found in the country is imported. Premium Saffron is currently about US$113 an ounce.
To get the most flavor and color out of saffron, grind 2 teaspoons of saffron threads with a mortar and pestle, or crush with fingertips. Then, add ¼ cup (60 ml) of warm water and allow it to cool. This vibrant elixir can be used to prepare paella, buttery saffron rice, and special desserts. Try it in this recipe for Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons & Olives.
Bird’s Nest Soup
Swiftlets are a type of bird whose nests are used to make bird’s nest soup, a popular Chinese delicacy praised for its supposed curative properties. White swiftlet nests are a relative bargain at $2000 per bowl compared to the prized red swiftlet nests, which can fetch up to $10,000. We were going to say, “tastes like chicken”, but apparently Bird’s Nest Soup doesn’t have a lot of taste; its texture is similar to softened gelatin and jelly. Sound appealing?
Jamon Iberico de Bellota
If you’re willing to spend a hefty sum of $3,600, you can get your hands on a leg of jamon made from acorn-fed Iberico pigs, raised in western Spain. The buttery, umami-rich meat is considered a delicacy. It has a smooth texture, and an unctuous high fat content. It is usually served as is, thinly sliced.
Aceto Balsamic Vinegar
Not all vinegars are created equal, and traditional balsamic vinegar from Italy’s Modena region is certainly in a league of its own. Look for the D.O.P. certification and the label “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale” to ensure authenticity. An aged 100 ml bottle can set you back around $180 or more. This is not the $4 bottle from the local store. In fact, the finer versions are used with restraint and more as a condiment, rather than an ingredient in a dish.
Ayam Cemani Black Chicken
Originating from Indonesia, the Ayam Cemani black chicken is a rare breed with everything, except for its blood, being pitch black – from its feathers to its flesh, tongue, and organs. A pair of these chickens can cost $5,000.
Yubari Melon
What is it about melons? The Yubari melon is the most expensive melon in the world, grown on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. In 2022, a pair of Yubari melons was sold for nearly $28,000, making it a true luxury item. We love melon, but maybe not that much.
Pule
Made from donkey’s milk on a small farm in Serbia, pule is the world’s most expensive cheese, costing as much as $1700 per pound. Its price is justified by the fact that donkey milk is notoriously difficult to produce, with one donkey yielding only about 0.85 cups of milk per day, requiring three daily milkings to prevent injury to the udder. More than three gallons of donkey milk are necessary to produce a pound of cheese. Those cheesemakers are patient!
Abalone
Australian abalone, technically a type of marine snail, is harvested off South Australia and can fetch $120 per mollusk. Licensed fisherman can harvest up to 7.5 tonnes of abalone meat per season, which can be worth up to $1 million domestically. The dangerous and challenging process of harvesting abalone involves free diving in the rough waters of the Southern Indian Ocean. And there are sharks there, too. Just saying.
18 of the World’s Deadliest Foods: How Many Are You Eating?
Whether you eat to live, or live to eat, let’s make sure you live to see another day! These are some of the world’s deadliest foods. They can bring on extreme symptoms, ranging from paralysis to seizures, choking and even death, so don’t go tucking these into your lunchbox. Click to read 18 of the World’s Deadliest Foods: How Many Are You Eating?
6 Gas Station Chains With Food So Good It’s Worth Driving Out Of Your Way For
We scoured the Internet to see what people had to say about gas station food. If you think the only things available are wrinkled hotdogs of indeterminate age, and day-glow slushies, we’ve got great, tasty news for you. Whether it ends up being part of a regular routine, or your only resource on a long car trip, we have the food info you need. Let’s look at 6 gas stations that folks can’t get enough of and see what they have for you to eat. Read 6 Gas Station Chains With Food So Good It’s Worth Driving Out Of Your Way For
10 Of The Worst Tasting Drinks People Pretend To Like
Hold onto your taste buds, because we’re about to embark on a flavor-filled adventure through the realm of beverages! Sure, we all need water to survive, but let’s be real – drinks are so much more than just basic hydration. Recently, the question of which beverages people secretly think taste awful sparked a fiery debate. Boozy elixirs, non-alcoholic refreshments, and everything in between were thrown into the mix. Brace yourself as we unveil the truth behind the drinks we pretend to love. Get ready for a wild ride of taste revelations! Read 10 Of The Worst Tasting Drinks People Pretend To Like
14 Of The Craziest Hacks People Use Mayonnaise For – Even In The Bedroom!
After you click through this slide show you will never look at a jar of mayo the same way again. Trust us. Click for 14 Of The Craziest Hacks People Use Mayonnaise For – Even In The Bedroom!
Take Back Control: How to Identify and Tackle Medical Gaslighting
What is medical gaslighting? Medical gaslighting refers to a situation in which healthcare providers dismiss or diminish the symptoms that an individual is experiencing, attempting to persuade them that the symptoms are attributed to an alternative cause or are mere figments of their imagination. Medical gaslighting can leave you questioning your own experience. And at worse can lead to undiagnosed serious illness.
Learn the signs and the ways in which you can take back control if this happens to you. Read: Take Back Control: How to Identify and Tackle Medical Gaslighting
Don’t Fall For These 17 Foods That Pretend To Be Healthy
Have you heard the term “Dr. Google”? That’s when you turn to search engines and the Internet to provide health and medical information – and unless you know how to vet sources, it is a mine field of faulty information. Here are 17 foods that you might have heard are “healthy”, but we have the whole story. PS: the moment a food becomes a trend, research carefully. We’re looking at you bulletproof coffee!
Click for Don’t Fall For These 17 Foods That Pretend To Be Healthy
17 Of The Most Expensive Foods In The World: Would You Pay This Much To Eat Any Of These?
These days our food budget is not going very far, even for everyday foods. And yet, there are still those who seek out extravagant foods, regardless of price. I guess we can live vicariously through these pictures. Maybe someday someone will bestow a 4-pound white truffle upon us, but until then, this will have to suffice.
Click for 17 Of The Most Expensive Foods In The World: Would You Pay This Much To Eat Any Of These?
19 Of The World’s Most Overrated Foods
We have foods we love, and those we won’t touch. We all have our own likes and dislikes, but what are the most overrated foods? That was the question posed on this Reddit thread by Even_Cause_3478. There were a lot of opinions. Some made sense to us, and some were things we had never thought of before!
What is the most overrated food in your opinion?
Click for 19 Of The World’s Most Overrated Foods
Miracle at 30,000 Feet: What Happens When a Baby is Born During a Flight?
Have you ever wondered What Happens If You Give Birth On a Plane? Who delivers the baby? Where do you deliver the baby? What is the child’s citizenship, and do they get free trips for life?
Is Cash Still King In Your Life? 13 Reasons People Still Carry Cash
Cash. It never used to be controversial, but these days it appears that there are those on both sides of the coin (so to speak). For those of us of a certain age we can remember our mothers always telling us to keep a $20 bill in our shoe or bra, in case of emergencies. Now many of us struggle to find a coin to put in the meter.
Cash lovers, and those who never carry it. What’s the reasoning, either way? A Redditor was thinking the same thing, and asked the question, Do You Still Carry Cash? These are the answers they got. Read Is Cash Still King In Your Life? 13 Reasons People Still Carry Cash
