10 of the World’s Most Expensive Ingredients

Food enthusiasts worldwide take pleasure in sampling some of the rarest and priciest ingredients. With this list, you can do the same—provided you have a few thousand dollars and ample time to hunt down specialty suppliers.

1. SAFFRON

By weight, saffron is more expensive than gold, primarily due to the labor-intensive harvesting process. Saffron consists of the dried stamens of the crocus flower: Each crocus yields just three stamens, all of which must be handpicked and air-dried. It takes about a football field’s worth of crocus flowers to produce a single pound of dried saffron, requiring around 40 hours of labor to harvest all those flowers. Despite its high cost, saffron is typically sold in small quantities, as a little bit of the spice can flavor dishes extensively. The premium variety is Spanish coupe grade, which can cost around $20 for just 2 grams.

2. HAWAIIAN KONA NIGARI WATER

The world’s priciest water is sourced from 2000 feet below the surface of the ocean off Hawaii. Due to its deep origin, it is claimed to be free from contaminants and is said to assist with weight loss and enhance skin health. This desalinated seawater is a mineral concentrate that needs to be diluted with regular water before consumption. Extremely popular in Japan, it is priced at $402 for 750ml (around 25 fluid ounces).

3. ALBA WHITE ITALIAN TRUFFLES

White truffles are highly coveted due to their rarity. Found only for a few months each year in a small region of Italy (the Piedmont area), they must be hunted down by specially trained truffle pigs (or, in some cases, truffle dogs). The availability of these truffles varies based on the growing conditions for that year. Prices can soar to as high as $2000 per pound.

4. WAGYU BEEF

Known as the Champagne of beef, Wagyu beef comes from Japanese cows renowned for their rich fat marbling. It’s this marbling that gives the beef its extraordinary flavor—the fat has a low melting point, allowing it to melt into the meat during cooking, resulting in an incredibly juicy taste. Wagyu beef costs around $100 per pound.

The finest Wagyu is said to be from Kobe. With only about 3000 cows certified as Kobe each year, and even fewer of these being available for export, Kobe beef is one of the world’s most exclusive foods—priced at approximately $300 per pound.

5. ACETO BALSAMICO TRADIZIONALE

True traditional balsamic vinegar takes at least 12 years to craft and is protected under the European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) system. Trebbiano grapes from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy are harvested, and the grape must (the pressed juice, skin, seeds, and stems) is boiled over an open fire before being aged in wooden casks for up to 25 years. A 100ml bottle (about 3.4 fluid ounces) of this specialty vinegar can fetch up to $180.

6. YUBARI KING MELONS

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Yubari King melons are a hybrid of two cantaloupe varieties and are grown in greenhouses in the Yubari region of Japan. These melons are often given as gifts, usually in perfectly matched pairs, with the most prized ones being exceptionally round with a smooth skin. The rarest pairs are sold at auction and can fetch up to $12,400.

7. JAMON IBERICO DE BELLOTA

Produced from black Iberian pigs in western Spain, the unique flavor of this pork product is said to come from the sweet acorns (bellota) these pigs forage from the forest floor. The production of the jamon (Spanish dry-cured ham) is closely monitored by Denomination of Origin (DO), a system designed to maintain quality and ensure the geographical origin of traditional foods. These regulations specify no more than two pigs per hectare of land to ensure the pigs can consume the approximately 11 pounds of acorns per day needed to reach a weight of around 350 pounds by the end of the acorn season.

After slaughter, the hams are hung to dry, a process that can take up to three years. DO inspectors are dispatched to sniff the ham, ensuring it meets the required quality standards to be classified as Jamon Iberico de Bellota (only about eight individuals possess the expertise to serve as jamon inspectors). Hand-sliced Jamon Iberico de Bellota can be priced around $220 per pound.

8. HOP SHOOTS

The latest vegetable craze is hop shoots (or hop asparagus), a by-product of the brewing industry—hop shoots are the young green tips of the hop plant, which do not go on to produce the flowers used in beer production. The high cost of this vegetable comes from the labor-intensive process of harvesting the tiny tendrils, as each shoot must be located within a sprawling plant and gently picked by hand. In some parts of Europe, hop shoots can sell for as much as $128 per pound.

9. MOOSE HOUSE CHEESE

There are numerous pricey cheeses available, but Moose House cheese stands out as one of the rarest. Located on a 59-acre farm in Bjurholm, Sweden, this small moose farm houses just three moose (named Gullan, Haelga, and Juna) and milks them only between May and September. The moose produce enough milk to make around 660 pounds of cheese each season, with Moose House producing three distinct varieties—rind, blue, and feta-style cheese. The cheese is sold at approximately $400 to $500 per pound.

10. ALMAS CAVIAR

Caviar has long been synonymous with luxury, but in recent years, the price of the most expensive beluga caviar has surged due to the sturgeon it comes from being classified as an endangered species.

The priciest caviar in the world is the extremely rare Iranian Almas caviar, a light-colored beluga variety that comes from 100-year-old albino sturgeons in the Caspian Sea. Albino sturgeons themselves are rare, but those older than 100 years are even more so. Almas caviar is presented in gold-plated boxes and is priced around $25,000 for 2.2 pounds.