1. Saffron
Saffron enhances the flavours of many styles of cuisine. Rice and pasta dishes come alive with a pinch of this red-gold powder. Seafood is wonderful with a saffron-infused broth, or rub some chicken with some of these exquisitely fine threads. But remember to use sparingly, because it is after all the single most expensive food item in the world. In fact it’s so expensive it’s pretty close to the value of gold. Why, you might ask? The prime reason is the extraordinary labour involved in harvesting and preparing it for storage. Also add to that the fact that almost 150,000 autumn-blooming crocus flowers are needed to obtain just one kilogram of saffron.
Price per kg 22,000 USD
Biggest Exporters Spain (1st), India (2nd)
Best Product Saffron from the area of south-central Spain called La Mancha
2. Almas Caviar
Caviar consists of fresh, non-fertilised, lightly salted eggs that are cut from the belly of sturgeon fish, the oldest survivor of the dinosaur era and native to the Caspian Sea. The four main types of caviar are beluga, sterlet, osetra, and sevruga and they’re usually served on toast with very little embellishment. Caviar is also best when handled with a spoon made of mother of pearl, bone or other non-metallic material, as metal utensils tend to impart an unwelcome metallic taste to the delicate and expensive roe. The eggs range in colour from dark grey to light grey, with the lighter colours coming from older fish being the most valued.
Price per kg 20,000 USD
Biggest Exporters Iran (1st), Russia (2nd)
Best Product A type of Iranian Beluga called Almas
3. White Truffle
Amazingly, truffles are found thanks to the talent of specifically trained hogs or dogs. It seems, pigs have keener noses, but dogs are less inclined to gobble up the prize. Only Mother Nature can produce these expensive and sublime foods, which are found in the wild growing around the roots of trees. Their high price is due to their rarity; the other part is their methodically slow and labour-intensive reaping method that involves digging up the truffle while being extra careful not to touch it, as that will cause it to rot. Should the truffle not be ripe, it must then be reburied for future harvesting. Truffle season lasts from August to January with the best products coming in the middle of this period.
Price per kg 13,000 USD
Biggest Exporters Northern Italy (1st), Central Italy (2nd)
Best Product Truffles from Alba, a town in Piemonte, Italy
4. Black Truffle
Apart from their colour, the main differences between the black and white truffles are the smell and taste. The black truffle has a pleasing wet leaf, earthy smell and is usually added during the cooking of a dish. The white one has a more enigmatic smell, mixed with notes of fermented honey, hay, garlic, spices, wet earth and ammonia, and is usually finely shaved onto food just prior to serving. Both are appreciated in different ways although the white is more desirable due to its complexity. Interestingly, in the Islamic book of the Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad said, “Truffles are a kind of Manna. Their water is healing to the eye.”
Price per kg 5,000 USD
Biggest Exporters France (1st), Spain (2nd)
Best Product Truffles from Périgord in the Dordogne region
