Top 7 Most Expensive Vegetables in the World

1. Hop Shoots

Hop Shoots are a highly priced vegetable worldwide, reserved for culinary delights among the upper class. These shoots are known to be sold at a staggering price of up to 1,000 Euro/kg (approximately 26 million VND). Hop flowers are extremely rare, sprouting only once in spring, usually between March and April in some European countries. With a short lifespan, harvesting hop shoots is exceptionally challenging as it requires entirely manual labor.

2. Wasabi Root

Amaranth is a commonly used leafy green in cuisine, but there exists a rare and expensive variant globally, known as Pink Amaranth. This particular amaranth variety commands a price more than 20 times that of the regular green amaranth. The high price is not just due to its cost but also attributed to its eye-catching color and unique flavor. Thanks to its vibrant hue and distinctive taste, Pink Amaranth is sold for over half a million dong per kilogram.

The regular green amaranth typically sells for less than 1 USD (around 23,000 dong) per kilogram. In contrast, Pink Amaranth is priced at over 20 USD/kg (approximately 500,000 dong). It's worth noting that the pink color of this vegetable is entirely natural and cultivated in Italy and California. While not a price that would astonish, Pink Amaranth, compared to the regular green variant, still manages to make buyers wince if they wish to indulge.

Chinese broccoli or duckweed is often a common and familiar vegetable in many family meals. Typically, Chinese broccoli is priced at around 2 USD per kilogram. However, in the world, there is another type of Chinese broccoli that reaches a staggering 26 USD/kg (approximately 597,000 VND), placing it on the list of the world's most expensive vegetables, and that is Asafumi Yamashita Chinese Broccoli.

It is known that Yamashita, a Japanese native growing vegetables in France, only sells this type of vegetable to 7 customers, all of whom are Michelin-starred chefs. Because Yamashita Chinese Broccoli takes several years to perfect and the care process applied by Yamashita is unique, he sells them for 26 USD per kilogram. If you want to try this exclusive Chinese broccoli by importing, the cost will be even higher.

Belonging to the world's most expensive Truffle mushroom category, but the white truffle or also known as the white Truffle fungus is relatively more expensive than its black Truffle counterpart. White truffles are primarily found in the Langhe and Montferrat areas of the Piedmont region in northern Italy, most notably in the rural areas around the cities of Alba and Asti.

With its exceptionally delicious taste and irresistibly intense aroma, this type of white truffle holds the highest value among truffle varieties worldwide. The record price paid for a single white truffle was set in December 2007 when Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho paid 330,000 USD, equivalent to 165,000 British pounds, for a specimen weighing 1.5 kg.

Black Truffle Fungus, also known as Périgord truffle, is a type of truffle originating from Southern Europe, belonging to one of the most expensive edible mushrooms globally. The mushrooms are round, dark brown with a black-brown skin and small conical peaks, perhaps the actual shape of them gives them the name black truffle. Black truffles have a fragrant aroma and often reach sizes of up to 10 cm or about 3.9 inches, some even larger, weighing several kilograms.

If you are a culinary enthusiast, frequently having the opportunity to enjoy gourmet meals at hotels, and prominent restaurants both domestically and internationally, you will likely be familiar with the presence of black truffles in dishes. Their unique taste and aroma are likened to the scent of mildew after rain, earthy, captivating diners. It is precisely this delightful flavor that makes their preservation and storage challenging, requiring strict storage procedures, while harvesting is also no less demanding. That's why this type of mushroom is so highly valued and belongs to the category of the world's most expensive vegetables.