You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

A creamy smoked white cheese from Serbia, this delicacy can be sold for as much as $1,256 per kilogram (2.2lbs). It's made from the milk of an endangered Balkan donkey in a sanctuary in Zasavica. It takes 25 liters (44 pints) of donkey milk to make a kilogram (2.2lbs) of the cheese. Currently, the cheese is only made on order.

[Lee Stewart]

Matsutake mushrooms, or mattake for short, are facing extinction in Japan’s Okinawa region due to an increase in nematodes, which will kill the pine trees these mushrooms grow under. The amount harvested has fallen sharply in recent years, only hiking up the price. Still, there are plenty of people willing to shell out $2,000 per kilogram (2.2lbs) for the highest-grade mushrooms.

[Lee Stewart]

Thought to have originated in Ethiopia, the Geisha coffee was discovered in the 1930s and later grown in Panama. The coffee gained global attention in 2004 when its unusual aromatic and floral flavor won the title Best of Panama green coffee auction, attracting a record price. It's been breaking its own records ever since, fetching the highest-ever price in 2019. Just 450g (1lb) of the unroasted Geisha fetched $1,029.

[Lee Stewart]

Although it's the soup made with the nest that's the delicacy rather than the actual nest, they're still notoriously expensive – not to mention controversial. Made by cave swiftlets by binding moss, seaweed and feathers with their saliva, the nests can sell for as much as $4,000 for a kilogram (2.2lb). However, unethical practices by irresponsible farmers have prompted import restrictions and regulations from governing bodies in countries such as China, who have also introduced strict rules to improve the safety and traceability of the goods.

[Lee Stewart]

The most expensive of the prestigious To'ak chocolate bars is sold for $216 even though it weighs just 50g (1.76oz). The bar contains 73% pure cacao, which is harvested in Ecuador and matured for three years in tequila or Islay whiskey casks. One of the reasons for the high price tag is that it contains an extremely rare pure DNA-tested Nacional heirloom cacao tree cocoa bean in the middle of the bar.

[Lee Stewart]

The world's most expensive spice, saffron is mainly grown in Iran, who produces more than 90% of the global demand. Each crocus sativus flower produces about three red stigmas which must be picked by hand. It takes 50,000-75,000 flowers and 40 hours of hand-picking to produce just 450g (1lb) of saffron so it's not surprising this spice can be sold for as much as $10,000 per kilogram (2.2lbs).

[Lee Stewart]

The Italian city of Modena is famous for many things from sports cars to medieval history, however, its most prized export is the aceto balsamico di Modena, or balsamic vinegar. Various Modena balsamic vinegars are available at most supermarkets, however, the priciest is Giuseppe Giusti’s 100-year-old balsamic vinegar, aged in cherry wood barrels and distilled to perfection thanks to family traditions passed down from 17 generations of vinegar specialists. A 100ml (3.5oz) bottle of this vinegar can cost as much as $563.

[Lee Stewart]

Alba white truffles are a gourmet indulgence found in the Piedmont region of northern Italy and their high price, around $603 per 100g (3.5oz), is due to their unpredictable growth habits. Usually in season between October and January, no one has been able to domesticate them, relying instead on trained dogs and pigs to sniff them out, so availability differs greatly too, even when in season.

[Lee Stewart]

Atlantic bluefin tuna, which is known for its tender pinky red meat, is often used in sushi and sashimi among other dishes. Although the fish is now listed as endangered species, it's still extremely sought-after. In 2020, a 276kg (608lbs) tuna was sold for $1.8 million at an auction in Tokyo's Toyosu fish market. Bought by sushi tycoon Kiyoshi Kimura, this is the second highest-ever price paid for bluefin tuna after Kimura's $3.1 million purchase last year.

[Lee Stewart]

Officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the most expensive caviar in the world, a kilogram (2.2lbs) will set you back $10,139. It comes from rare albino specimens of sturgeon, or Iranian beluga. These fish from the clear waters of southern Caspian Sea are between 60 and 100 years old and produce golden yellow eggs that are prized for their exquisite flavor.