For most people, the ingredients and produce sold at the local shop is usually more than enough to make just about any dish. But for anyone that wants to host a truly fine dining experience that won’t ever be forgotten, they need to opt for only the best ingredients that money can buy.
Some ingredients, however, are so rare, exclusive, and expensive that even upper-class restaurants might think twice before putting the money down to purchase them. These are some of the most expensive ingredients in the world right now.
Wagyu Beef
Often known as the Champagne of Beef, this kind of beef only comes from Japan, and is known is known for its fat marbling, which is much higher than most other kinds of beef. This allows the meat to take on a particularly unique and delicious flavour, which is only made better by the low melting point of the beef’s fat, which it melts directly into the meat. Genuine Wagyu beef can go for as much as $100 per half a kilogram, making it by the most expensive in the world. But this can be taken even on step higher with Kobe beef, which comes with an asking price of up to $300 per 500 grams.
Almas Caviar
Caviar has long been associated with the rich and powerful, and is seen as a sign of luxury, but it has become even more elusive in recent years as the fish that provides the caviar has become an endangered species. The most expensive caviar in the world comes from Iran; specifically from the Caspian Sea, where it’s created by albino sturgeons that can be up to a century in age. Finding one that’s both this old and albino is almost impossible, but real Almas caviar can fetch a price of $25000 per KG, making it one of the most expensive ingredients in the world, if not the most, and only available to those with big money to play now.
Saffron
Saffron is one of the few substances that can make the boast of being more valuable than gold per kilogram. The rare and valuable spice is made from the stamens of the crocus plant, of which each only creates three stamens in total. Every single stamen needs to be picked by hand and then dried, and it can take an entire week just to finish picking. Along with this, it can take a land the size of a football field worth of crocus plants to create just a single KG of saffron, which is why it can retail for around $10 for just a single gram.
Kano Water
This is the most expensive water in the world and can only be found deep in the ocean off of the coast of Hawaii. The seawater goes through a process of desalination before being sold to customers, with the sellers claiming that because the water comes from such a low depth, it’s free of any contamination. In Japan, where it’s popular, the water is sold for $400 for 750ml.
