Lindeth Howe Country House dessert
Tucked away in the English countryside, the Lindeth Howe Country House hotel gives its patrons the chance to order the world’s most expensive dessert. Consisting of four different kinds of Belgian chocolate, champagne jelly and edible gold, this pudding costs an eye-watering $35,000 per serving.
Fugu
A potentially deadly delicacy, fugu is made from the flesh of tetrodotoxin-producing pufferfish. Given how dangerous this toxin is, only highly trained chefs are permitted to prepare fugu, carefully cutting around the poisonous parts. As you’d expect, this service doesn’t come cheap, and fugu goes for roughly $180 per kilogram.
Luxury Zebra Cro donut
London’s Dum Dum Donutterie is the proud seller of the Luxury Zebra Cro, more commonly known as “the world’s most expensive donut.” Made from a saffron-based dough, gold vanilla beans from Tahiti, Amedei Porcelana chocolate and topped with Cristal champagne caviar, the sweet treat goes for £1,500.
Gooseneck barnacles
Exclusively found off the coast of Galicia, gooseneck barnacles are notoriously challenging to harvest, with fishermen literally risking their lives to get their hands on them. The prize is often worth the risk, however, with a single kilogram selling for upwards of $500. The flesh of gooseneck barnacles is prized in culinary circles, and its flavor has been described as a mix between lobster and clam.
Kobe beef
Sometimes referred to as “wagyu” because of the type of cattle is comes from, Kobe beef comes from the hills of Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture. The cows are fed a diet rich in grains which leads to exceptionally marbled meat, with such a high fat content that it can melt at room temperature. Kobe is considered the most luxurious beef in the world, and it sells for around $50 per ounce.
Pule cheese
Donkey cheese might not sound like a particularly appetizing proposition, but that’s exactly what one of the world’s most expensive dairy products is. Produced in a tiny Serbian village, Pule can sell for well over $1,000 per kilo, thanks to its intense, pungent flavor.
Posh Pie
The invention of Australian chef Paul Medcalf, Posh Pie can be found in the restaurant of Sydney’s Lord Dudley Hotel. The pie’s pastry lid conceals premium cuts of beef, two whole rock lobsters, incredibly rare varieties of truffle and edible gold, and it costs close to $12,000, although it’s intended to be shared, so at least you’ll be splitting the bill.
White truffles
Truffles are famously expensive in general, but different varieties have different price tags. White truffles are the most expensive, due to their unique flavor – which is described as earthy with a hint of garlic – and how difficult they are to locate. A single ounce of white truffle will set you back around $250.
Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence
Available in Sri Lanka’s Fortress Resort and Spa, the Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence is famous for being one of the world’s most extravagant desserts. Consisting of Italian cassata, champagne sabayon sauce and gold leaf, the dessert – which costs $14,500 – also comes with an 80-carat aquamarine stone.
Beluga caviar
When you think of expensive foods, there’s a good chance caviar is what comes to mind first. Made from the eggs of sturgeon fish, caviar has a rich, salty flavor, and it’s often served on toast. The most expensive variety comes from the beluga sturgeon, and a single ounce sells for upwards of $800.
Kopi luwak coffee
Kopi luwak refers to the process of feeding coffee beans to civet cats and then collecting them from the excrement. This allegedly gives the beans an unusually rich flavor, and the beans can sell for $600 a pound. However, coffee experts have poured cold water on claims that the process improves flavor, and the kopi luwak industry is rife with animal cruelty.
Matsutake mushrooms
Matsutake mushrooms are native to Japan, but they are a prized ingredient the world over. The mushrooms have a deep, earthy flavor and meaty texture, and they can be consumed either cooked or raw. It’s impossible to farm Matsuke mushrooms, and the only way to find them is to forage for them, which is why they cost around $1,000 per pound.
Berco’s Billion Dollar Popcorn
While you don’t have to be a literal billionaire to afford Berco’s Billion Dollar Popcorn, you do need a fair amount of disposable income. Seasoned with the world’s most expensive salt and decorated with edible 23-carat gold, this high-end snack will set you back around $350 per tin.
Da Hong Pao tea
Grown only in China’s Wuyi Mountains, Da Hong Pao is one of the most prized varieties of tea in the world, boasting a flavor that’s been described as sweet and woody. The soil where Da Hong Pao is grown is notoriously rocky, which keeps yields low, and in 2002 20 grams of the tea sold for $24,689 at auction.
Iberico ham
One of Spain’s most iconic foods, Iberico ham is made from the cured meat of Iberian pigs, which mostly live on a diet of acorns. This gives the meat a distinctly rich, nutty flavor, and the ham is usually eaten on its own. A leg of top-quality Iberian ham will set you back around $4,500, making it the most expensive cured meat in the world.
Densuke watermelon
With its jet-black rind and ruby-red flesh, Densuke watermelon is as visually striking as it is delicious. Exclusively grown in the volcanic soil of Japan’s Hokkaido Island, only around 10,000 of these melons are sold a year, and individual melons have previously fetched up to $6,000 at auction.
Lambda olive oil
Made from the finest Greek Kornoeiki olives, Lambda olive oil is the most expensive edible oil in the world. Each 500 milliliter bottle comes in a hand-sewn leather pouch, and the retail price is $89. The flavor of the oil has been described as rich and fruity, with a slight peppery kick.
Bluefin Tuna
Bluefin tuna is one of the most sought-after ingredients in Japan, due to its use in high-end sushi restaurants. In January 2023, a bluefin weighing 212 kilograms sold for a staggering $273,000 at auction. While this is obviously an extreme, bluefin meat averages at about $5,000 per pound.
Louis XIII Pizza
By far the most expensive pizza in the world, the Louis XIII Pizza was created by legendary Italian chef Renato Viola. Measuring just 20 centimeters across, the pizza is topped with lobster, seven varieties of cheese and three types of caviar, and it costs $12,000.
Saffron
Made from the dried stigma of a saffron crocus flower, saffron is known as the most luxurious spice in the world. The average price for saffron is somewhere between $10 and $20 a gram, and most dishes that make use of the spice require several grams of the stuff.
Edible gold
Generally used as a garnish in extremely exclusive restaurants, edible gold is unsurprisingly expensive, costing around $70 a gram. In order to be classified as fit for consumption, edible gold has to be completely pure and free from any contaminants, which is one of the reasons for its hefty price tag.
Caciocavallo Podolico
Made from the milk of podolico cows, Caciocavallo Podolico is one of the most expensive cheeses in the world. Aged in caves deep within the Italian alps, Podolico – which is formed into a signature teardrop shape and tastes somewhat similar to provolone – sells for upwards of $140 per kilogram.
Ethical foie gras
Made from the livers of force-fed geese, foie gras is a French delicacy that has been banned in many parts of the world. In recent years, farmers in Spain have found ethical ways of replicating foie gras’ highly sought-after flavor, but it doesn’t come cheap, with a single kilogram costing $700.
Bird’s nest soup
Bird’s nest soup is a traditional delicacy in China. Made from the nests of swifts, this soup is often touted for its healing properties and its intense, briny flavor. The nests – which are made from the birds’ spit – are dangerous to harvest, and prices reflect this, with a single bowl of the soup often costing well over $5,000.
Aceto balsamic vinegar
Balsamic vinegar is a common ingredient, found in kitchens all across the world. The good stuff, however, is only available to high-rollers. Produced in Italy’s Modena region, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is priced according to how long it’s been aged, with the most desirable vinegars fetching almost $200 per 100 milliliters.
Grand Velas taco
Filled with Kobe beef, beluga caviar and black truffle brie, the Grand Velas taco is one of the world’s most expensive meals. Served at the Grand Velas Los Cabos Resort’s Frida restaurant in Mexico, this opulent taco – which comes with a salsa made from Morita chili peppers and Ley.925 ultra-premium añejo tequila – costs a cool $25,000.
St. Eriks Chips
Considering they cost $79 apiece, you will likely be horrified to discover that a box of St. Eriks potato chips comes with just five single chips. Each chip presents a different flavor – ranging from Matsutake mushroom to an exotic seaweed found only on the Faroe Islands – and the concept was thought up by a team of Swedish chefs.
Abalone
A highly prized ingredient in fine dining, abalone is a type of marine snail predominantly found off the coast of South Australia. Fishermen typically harvest abalone by free diving, a labor-intensive process that often produces small yields. As a result, the snails are incredibly valuable, often selling for $120 per specimen.
The Golden Boy Burger
The Golden Boy Burger has to be ordered two weeks in advance, and the deposit alone costs $800. The entire dish costs $5,400, in exchange for which wealthy patrons of Dutch restaurant De Daltons get a burger containing Iberico ham, white truffle, beluga caviar, king crab and even kopi luwak coffee.
Matcha
Prized for its nutty flavor and high levels of antioxidants, matcha green tea powder has become a popular ingredient with health-conscious consumers in recent years. While it’s not hard to find low-grade matcha on the shelves of supermarkets, pure, ceremonial grade matcha is extremely hard to come by, and often sells for $285 per kilo.
Manuka honey
Manuka honey is produced by bees that have collected the nectar of the manuka tree, which is most commonly found in New Zealand and Australia. Prized for its healing properties – which have been confirmed in a number of scientific studies – the purest manuka honey can sell for just shy of $500 per kilogram.
La Bonnotte potatoes
Potatoes aren’t exactly synonymous with luxury, but La Bonnotte potatoes – grown in the rich soil of the French island of Noirmoutier – can sell for $530 a kilo. Thanks to the minerals present in Noirmoutier’s soil, La Bonnotte potatoes have a crisp, salty flavor with a citric aftertaste.
Ayam Cemani chicken
Found only in Indonesia, Ayam Cemani chickens are completely black. Everything about the birds – including their feathers, flesh, organs and blood – is distinctly black, and they are incredibly valuable. A single chicken can sell for $1,800, even though the meat tastes exactly like normal chicken.
Ruby Roman grapes
Exclusively grown in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture, Ruby Roman grapes are the among the world’s most expensive fruits. Each grape can weight up to 20 grams, and the flavor has been described as exquisitely floral. Ruby Roman grapes fall into various categories, and the most expensive – referred to as “premium” – sell for around $1,000 per bunch.
Hop shoots
One of the most expensive vegetables in the world at $1,000 a kilo, hop shoots are the bits at the end of hops that brewers don’t use. The flavor has been described as pleasantly nutty – although not particularly exceptional – and the reason for the price is the fact that hop shoots are incredibly labor intensive to harvest.
The Glamburger
If you ever find yourself craving an exorbitantly priced bite to eat in the London borough of Chelsea, you can head to the Honky Restaurant for a Glamburger. Consisting of Kobe beef, Canadian lobster, New Zealand venison, white truffle, beluga caviar, smoked duck’s egg and – last but not least – maple cured bacon, this burger costs the princely sum of $1,500.
Ostrich eggs
Ostrich eggs are about 24 times heavier than the ones laid by chickens, and more than 50 times as expensive. They’re also prized for their taste, which is described as intensely rich and buttery. Ostriches don’t lay eggs throughout the year, and this scarcity results in prices of around $40 an egg.
Fleurburger 5000
Th Fleurburger 5000 gets its name from the restaurant it’s served in (Fleur, in Las Vegas) and its price-tag; at exactly $5,000, the Fleurburger is one of the priciest burgers in the world. The burger consists of a wagyu patty, a slice of foie gras and truffles, all sandwiched between two brioche buns that are baked to order.
Pringles and Caviar Set
San Francisco-based company The Caviar Co. offers boxsets containing Pringles’ chips and pots of caviar. The idea was inspired by an episode of The Real Housewives of New York City, and there are a variety of boxes on offer. The cheapest is $50, while the most expensive is close to $200 and comes with a gold serving spoon.
Dragon Dog
Think hot dogs have no place in haute cuisine? Think again. Available from Vancouver’s DougieDogs, the Dragon Dog is made with Kobe beef, lobster, and a sauce made from truffles and 100-year-old cognac. At over $100 dollars, however, you might want to stick to your local street vendor.
