How much is the most expensive meat in the world? The most expensive food in the world.

In the world there are not just expensive, but very expensive products. It is sometimes difficult to understand why a kilogram of ordinary, at first glance, potatoes costs 20 thousand rubles, and a tea bag even more - tens of thousands of dollars. But it turns out there is an explanation for everything.
Saffron
The most expensive spice in the world is saffron. Real saffron is nothing but the stamens of a plant of the crocus family (Crocus sativus). There is also false saffron, which is also called Imeretian. It is made from the stamens of marigold flowers. The price of a kilogram of real saffron can reach up to $6,000. Such a fabulous price of saffron is explained by the laboriousness of its cultivation and harvesting technology. To obtain 1 kg of dry saffron, you need to sort out about 2000 flowers. From 1 hectare of plantation in the first year, only 6 kg of saffron can be harvested; in the second year - up to 20 kg. Harvesting is carried out during the flowering period in sunny weather. The bright orange stigmas are cut by hand on the first day of flower opening and dried.

Caviar
If you think that the most expensive caviar in the world is black, then you are deeply mistaken. Albino beluga caviar "Almas" is most valued. This fish is found in the Caspian Sea off the coast of Iran. Eggs have different shades: from pale gray to white. The lighter the caviar, the more expensive it is. Caviar "Almas" is exported from Iran and packaged in jars of pure gold. 100 grams of such caviar cost about $2,000. This delicacy spoils very quickly, so you need to consume it immediately after purchase. Connoisseurs disagree about the most expensive caviar in the world. Some believe that the enjoyment of this rare product with a nutty flavor is incomparable, others say that in addition to a beautiful light color, albino beluga caviar has no special advantages.

Potato
Banal, it would seem, potatoes can also be a delicacy when it comes to the La Bonnotte variety. It grows on the French island of Nurmoitier in the Atlantic Ocean. Potato fields are fertilized only with seaweed according to a technology that has been passed down from generation to generation. This variety is planted and harvested only by hand, and it costs about 500 euros per kilogram. The world's most expensive La Bonnotte potato tastes exceptionally tender. According to legend, this divine tuber was brought out by none other than the supreme god of the Incas, Viracocha. No more than 100 tons of potatoes of this variety are harvested annually.

Meat
The most expensive meat in the world is marbled beef. Her "suppliers" are Japanese Wagyu cows. The cost of a kilogram of meat reaches $1000. For centuries, Wagiu cows were bred only in Japan, now they are also raised in Australia. They are treated like royalty: they are fed with the best herbs, rubbed with sake, and given beer. The meat of the Australian Wagyu is even more expensive due to the fact that cows are fed red wine for $16 a bottle.

Coffee
The most expensive coffee in the world is produced from beans that came out of the intestines of a civet - an animal of the genus viverra. The variety is called "Kopi Luwak", "Kopi" in Indonesian means "coffee", and "Luwak" is the actual name of the animal. Coffee grows on the islands of Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi. The civet animal, to which we owe the most expensive coffee in the world, is a small predator, but it really likes ripe and fragrant coffee beans. Their civet eats much less than it can digest. At one time it was even considered a pest. But then it turned out that the digestive enzymes of the animal improve the taste of coffee, removing bitterness. Local residents collect coffee beans that are not digested by civet, a kilogram of which costs $300-400.

Tea
The most expensive tea in the world is called Dahongpao - "Scarlet Robe" in Chinese. The tea owes this name to its color - when the buds swell, the tea bushes look like they are dressed in red clothes. Dahongpao is a highly fermented tea with an intense flavor and aroma.
The most expensive Dahongpao tea in the world is obtained from the leaf of six bushes growing near the Tianxin Monastery. Their age is estimated at 350 years. No more than 0.5 kg of such tea is collected per year, and even less goes on sale - no more than 20 g. In 2006, the entire crop was transferred to the Chinese National Museum as an exhibit. Since then, there has been an official ban on the collection of Dahongpao, and today no one can taste it. The price of the most expensive tea in the world, Dahongpao - at a time when the ban on its collection was not yet in effect - reached sky-high heights. In 2005, 20 grams of tea was sold at an auction for 208,000 yuan (about $25,000).

Chocolate
The most expensive chocolate in the world is the chocolate produced by the Lebanese factory Patchi for sale in the British chain of stores Harrods - £5,000 per pack. The package contains 49 sweets wrapped in handmade Indian silk, decorated with silk roses, Swarovski crystals and even gold. The box is also complicated: it is made of leather and silk, and the partitions in it are gold and platinum.

Pizza
The most expensive pizza in the world is sold in the city of Agropoli in southern Italy for 8300 euros. Two chefs come to the client's house and cook pizza (everything except the base) in front of his eyes. The filling includes tuna caviar, lobster, lobster, buffalo mozzarella, red lobster, shrimp and lobster. All this is poured with cognac Louis XIII Remy Martin. Even pizza salt is not easy - Australian pink "Murray River".

Dessert
The most expensive dessert in the world can be tasted in New York at the Serendipity 3 restaurant - provided that you have $ 25 thousand for this pleasure. For this amount, you will receive ice cream with 25 varieties of cocoa, decorated with whipped cream and pieces of edible gold . You need to warn about the desire to eat such a dessert in advance. By the way, you can take dishes, a glass and a spoon with a gold border and diamonds with you.

Sandwich
The most expensive sandwich in the world is called the Von Essen Platinum Club Sandwich. It costs almost $200 and is sold in the Von Essen chain. The sandwich consists of Iberian ham, Bresse poulard, white truffles, quail eggs, dried Italian tomatoes and special bread.

Omelette
In the restaurant of the New York hotel Le Parker Meridien you can taste the most expensive omelet in the world. It costs a thousand dollars. In addition to eggs, whole lobsters are added to it. The dish is served on fried potatoes and garnished with sturgeon caviar.

Salad
The most expensive salad in the world is called Florette Sea&Earth. It is served in the restaurant of the hotel Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Oxford. Salad ingredients include Almas white beluga caviar, spiny lobsters, Cornish crab and lobster. Grated truffles, asparagus, potatoes and young salad are also added there, and everything is decorated with gold foil. Chef Raymond le Blanc's signature dish costs £635.

Nut
The most expensive nut in the world is macadamia. Previously, it was a significant part of the diet of the Australian Aborigines, but now it has become a delicacy. The scientist who first described this type of nut named them after his friend, John Macadam, MD, a chemist. These nuts are also called mullimbimbi, boomer, kindal-kindal. Macadamia tastes like hazelnuts.

There are nine types of macadamia, five of which grow only in Australia. Two species are cultivated. There are plantations in Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Hawaii and the southern United States. The height of the tree reaches 40 m, it bears fruit for up to 100 years. Since macadamia kernels are difficult to separate from the shell, these nuts are quite expensive, and they are grown less than black caviar is produced.
Macadamia nuts are high in calories and rich in valuable nutrients. It removes cholesterol from the body well. Macadamia oil is a valuable cosmetic product. It is easily absorbed into the skin, softens, nourishes and moisturizes it, and also helps with sunburn.
They produce no more than 40 tons of delicacy per year. The cost of a kilogram of macadamia, even in the "historical homeland" of the nut, exceeds $30.

Ideas about what expensive food is are very different. For some it is red fish, for others it is rare white truffles. However, there are a number of other products whose price tag is sure to surprise you.
1. Matsutake mushroom

The rarity of these mushrooms raises their price to $ 600 dollars per 1 kg. Matsutake is originally from Japan and grows in several Asian countries, but their numbers have been greatly reduced by insects that destroy the trees in the shade of which these mushrooms usually grow. Since there is no way to cultivate matsutake, there is a possibility that they may disappear from the face of the earth altogether.
2. Coffee kopi luwak


This coffee is produced commercially in Indonesia, the Philippines and South India. Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world. Its cost ranges from $ 250 to 1,200 per 1 kg. Known for its specific processing method.
3. Beluga albino caviar


1 kg of such caviar costs 8,500 euros. The albino beluga is a large sturgeon that lives in the Caspian Sea. Its cost is so high due to the fact that albino beluga spawns its golden eggs extremely rarely - about once every 100 years.
4. Swallow's Nest Soup


The nests of these birds consist of practically nothing but saliva without any impurities or plant inclusions. This is what birds are valued for: their nests are a delicious delicacy in Chinese cuisine. The high price is explained simply: the collection of swallow nests is a rather dangerous occupation. Birds build their houses on sheer cliffs, where there is a great risk of breaking loose. The cost of such a delicacy is up to $ 3,000 per 1 kg.
5. Saffron


The cost of this seasoning can range from $ 400 to 1,000 per 1 kg. This is explained by the fact that saffron blooms only in autumn and only 7 days a year. Its collection and further processing is carried out manually. And in order to collect 1 kg of saffron, pickers need to pick about 300 thousand flowers of this plant.
6. White truffles


The high cost of these mushrooms is explained by the specific conditions for their growth, the method of collection, storage and, of course, the refined taste and aroma. In Europe, 1 kg of white truffles costs about 2,000 euros.
7. Black chicken ayam tsemani


Kur ayam tsemani is bred in Indonesia, but is not supplied to other countries due to the risk of the spread of bird flu. The breed of such birds is so rare that one chicken in Indonesia itself costs about $ 200. And outside of it, the price can reach several thousand.
8. Japanese marbled Wagyu beef steak


Wagyu A4 Japanese marbled beef steak is one of the most delicious, famous and expensive delicacies in the world. It has an amazing aroma, the richest A4 marbling (out of the maximum possible A5) and the famous oily texture. Purebred bulls of the Wagyu breed in their homeland in Japan are given massages, drink beer, and play classical music. The cost of 1 kg of such meat reaches $ 450.
9. Dried jamon


The most expensive pork ham is the Iberico jamon, which comes from Spain. It is there that black pigs of the Iberian breed graze, which are fed exclusively on acorns and for which huge pastures have been set aside. The price of 1 kg of dry-cured ham fluctuates around 365 euros.
10. Moose cheese


One of the most expensive cheeses is moose cheese, produced in only one place - the Moose House farm in Sweden. Moose milk is used for its production. Moose cheese is white in color and looks like feta cheese. The cost of such cheese is 1,000 euros per 1 kg, and it is produced in very limited quantities.

Today, restaurants and cafes in abundance offer their visitors dishes from a variety of products. Also in their menu there are often exotic or exclusive treats - for example, crocodile, ostrich, shark meat. It is clear that you will have to pay considerable sums to try such delicacies. However, marbled beef is considered the most expensive meat in the world, steaks from which will give a chic gastronomic explosion of taste to real gourmets and connoisseurs of gourmet food.

To obtain this type of meat, it is necessary to breed cows of the Wagyu breed (Wagyu, the name Wagyu is also found - translated from Japanese as “Japanese cow”). These animals have been raised in Japan for centuries, their export was strictly prohibited.

Later, livestock breeders from some countries managed to negotiate with Japanese farmers. In this way, these cows appeared in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand.

The appearance of the breed in Russia became possible with the assistance of N.S. Khrushchev, who, during a business trip abroad, tried a dish of marbled beef at one of the diplomatic receptions in the United States of America. Upon his return to Moscow, the first secretary instructed to build a farm for breeding Vagiu cattle. They say that it was here that meat was harvested for food in the dining room of the Kremlin party leaders of the USSR.

The concept of "marbling"

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a method for determining the quality of marbled beef, based on determining the amount of fat passing through muscle tissue. Its ratio to the volume of meat indicates the degree of "marbling" of beef. The higher it is, the tastier and more tender such a steak will be, since when frying in a pan or grill, the fat will melt and give additional juiciness.

The veins in the fillet should be thin, uniform, white, and the fillet itself should be of a bright, saturated, even color. This is the main criterion for choosing a tenderloin. Large, infrequent fat layers are a sign of inferior quality.

Depending on the degree of marbling, the following categories of meat are distinguished:

1. Prime is the highest class produced from young animals. Beef has evenly distributed muscle fat over the entire surface of the cut, which gives the fillet a similarity to marble tiles. Hence the name of this expensive meat. Chefs in famous restaurants roast it on a dry pan or grill;
2. Choice is a fillet with a slightly lower marbling than Prime. Such pieces can be baked or stewed under a closed lid;
3. Select - tenderloin is distinguished by a small amount of intramuscular fat, suitable for cooking (languishing) in an oven with pre-marination.

Breeding conditions

Until the age of 4-6 months, the main food of calves is milk. Later they are transferred to pastures in ecologically clean areas. Here, human intervention is minimized, we can say that animals live in almost ideal natural conditions. The next stage is the transfer of livestock to individual pens with soundproofing. Cows are hung on special harness-reins so that the muscles are in constant tension. This contributes to the distribution of fat evenly throughout the muscle mass. Also during this period, which is 200-300 days, fattening of animals with grain of the best varieties begins, usually barley or corn is used. Such a diet contributes to the discoloration of yellowish fat to white. High-calorie food promotes weight gain, to increase the appetite of bulls they drink high quality beer. It is known that Australian farmers have replaced beer with red wine of many years of aging.

In order to deposit fat into muscle mass and form beautiful thin layers, vibration massage is used. For the well-being of the animals on the farm, musical accompaniment is turned on daily, namely classical music, while each bull is given a massage session and rubbed with sake.

Price

The cheapest is the fillet of the third category Select, the most expensive is the tenderloin of the Prime category, the price of a kilogram of which can reach $ 1,000.

Due to the labor-intensive and costly technology, only farms produce such meat, since it is not practical to do it industrially. Therefore, the cost of such beef does not decrease for years.

poultry meat

Among the many breeds of chickens, representatives of such unusual species as Ayam Tsemani and Ga Dong Tao stand out significantly. It is the meat of these birds that is considered the most expensive in the world, as it attracts gourmets with its exoticism and unusual taste properties.

Birds of this breed have blue-black skin, feathers, claws, comb, internal organs and blood. This is due to the presence of a dominant gene, which causes hyperpigmentation. They are bred in small quantities in Indonesia, they are not exported outside the country due to the possibility of the spread of bird flu. Dishes from Ayam Tsemani are very expensive, the price fluctuates around $200 per serving.

We have collected the most expensive products in the world and found out why their prices are so sky-high. Everything was not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

(Total 10 photos)

1. Royal melon

$12,000 each

In Japan, it is customary to give each other delicacies, so this country has the most elite products: they can be presented to superiors, business partners and loved ones as a sign of respect and appreciation.

One of the most expensive dishes is royal melon yubari - a hybrid of two varieties of nutmeg melons (Earl's Favorite and Burpee). This variety is grown in the city of the same name on the island of Hokkaido in very small batches. Melons can cost up to $24,600 for a pair, which is the price for two yubari at Sapporo last spring (paired gifts are accepted in Japan). During the harvest, the fruits are sold much cheaper, but it is almost impossible to get them at retail - resellers buy everything in bulk in a matter of minutes.

Why is the fruit valued as a used foreign car? The Japanese are convinced that this is an extraordinary melon: it has a unique aroma and taste, perfectly round shape, delicate orange flesh and elegant appearance. It is believed that its peel resembles ancient porcelain vases with its pattern, so the skin, like the pulp, is displayed to the guest. The presence of a couple of such "balls" on the table speaks eloquently of the wealth of the owner.

2. Black watermelon

Up to $6,000 each

Another elite delicacy from Japan is black densuke watermelon. In fact, it has a dark green color and is completely devoid of stripes. Like yubari melon, densuke grows only on the island of Hokkaido and is a rarity. The record price for it at auction is $ 6,000 - however, it was in 2008. In 2013, the most expensive watermelon was sold at a fair in Japan for $3,500. In the summer of 2014, black densuke was sold in one of the supermarkets in Toronto for much less - $ 200. Given that a watermelon is 90% water, this figure is amazing anyway.

3. Ruby grapes

Up to $5400 per bunch

The top most expensive products in Japan, in addition to those mentioned, also include ruby ​​roman grapes. It is distinguished by its unusual ruby ​​color, sweetness and especially large berries - each has a diameter of about 3 cm and weighs 20 g. The variety was bred in 2007 in Ishikawa Prefecture - it was the result of 14 years of work by Japanese winegrowers. In the summer of 2014, one bunch of 30 berries was sold at auction for $5,400. It was reported that the owner of the wedding palace bought the lot for the wedding of a certain young couple.

4. Diamond caviar

10,000 euros per kilogram

Few people saw and even more so tried the caviar of the albino beluga. The older the fish, the lighter its eggs - and the more they are valued at the sale. The cost of a jar of such caviar called Almas is about 100 euros per 10 g. At the same time, sellers warn that they will have to get on a waiting list and wait for delivery for several months, which indicates an increased demand for the product. The high cost of the delicacy is due to the fact that the beluga itself is a rarity: it is included in the Red Book and its production is limited. It takes up to 27 years for a female to reach puberty. Finding an albino beluga, and even with caviar, is like finding a needle in a haystack.

5. Marble beef

Up to $800 per kilo

Among all types of meat on the international market, kobe beef is most valued - this is the tender and fatty marbled meat of wagyu cows, grown again in Japan, in Hyogo Prefecture. Initially, this delicacy was produced in the city of Kobe - hence the name. The price in the Japanese market can be 250-400 dollars per 1 kg, but in other countries a Japanese steak will cost twice as much, not to mention the dishes prepared from it. This is explained by skillful marketing, as well as the amazing conditions of the cows: they are fed with selected grass and grain, they are given premium beer, they are massaged - from stress and for the correct distribution of fat.

6. White truffle

Up to $32,000 per kilogram

The most expensive mushroom in the world is the white truffle: it grows only in certain regions of France, Italy and Croatia, it is difficult to find and almost impossible to save. The National Center for the Study of Truffles in Italy gives average prices: in 2012 - 500 euros per 1 kg, in 2013 - 350 euros, and in 2014 - only 220 euros due to the high yield. But if a particularly large mushroom comes across, it can be auctioned off for a fabulous sum. For example, in December 2014, the largest white truffle weighing 1.89 kg was sold at an auction in New York for $61,000. In autumn, special truffle tours are held for gambling tourists - experienced hunters with dogs help them look for mushroom places.

Up to 600,000 rubles. per kilogram

Saffron is often called the "royal seasoning" - the price corresponds to this status. In online stores, the cost of 1 g of spice varies depending on the country of production: Iranian costs 230 rubles, Spanish - 525 rubles, and Indian - 660 rubles. The high cost is explained by the complexity of the extraction of this spice: it is obtained from the stigmas of the flowers of the crocus seed, and there are only three of them in each flower. Harvesting saffron is a very time-consuming process, and only a little bit is required in a dish: 1 g is enough for several pilaf boilers. Saffron gives the dish a yellow color, and is also an aphrodisiac and antiseptic, soothes, improves metabolism and smoothes the skin of the face. According to legend, in the Middle Ages, one pound (450 g) of saffron was given to an Arabian horse. Since then, this spice has remained the most expensive spice in the world.

8. Bluefin tuna

Up to 8100 dollars per kilogram

One of the largest and fastest fish on the planet, bluefin tuna is also the most expensive. The absolute record for the price was set in December 2012: bluefin tuna weighing 222 kg was sold at an auction in Tokyo for $1.8 million ($8,108 per 1 kg). However, earlier this year, the same customer, Japanese restaurateur Kiyoshi Kimura, was surprised to buy a slightly smaller 180kg fish for $37,500 ($208/kg). Experts say that the falling market price may indicate that the number of bluefin tuna in the Sea of ​​Japan is recovering. However, in Moscow, 1 kg of this fish is still sky-high prices: it costs from 17,000 rubles.

9. French fries

Up to 457 euros per kilogram

The French variety La bonnotte de Noirmoutier is considered the most expensive potato in the world. It is grown on the island of Noirmoutier in limited quantities (up to 100 tons annually) and requires special care: it is harvested by hand and practically never stored. Thanks to the island's unique microclimate and sandy soil rich in algae, potatoes have an unusual sweet taste with hints of nuts. When the first crops went on sale, they were prohibitively expensive: for example, in 1996, potatoes left an auction in Paris for 457 euros per 1 kg. Now passions have subsided somewhat, wholesalers at the end of May can count on a price of 9-10 euros per 1 kg, but in shops and restaurants these potatoes are still “golden”.

10. Musang coffee

Up to 108,000 rubles. per kilogram

The most unusual and expensive coffee is produced in Indonesia with the direct participation of animals - musangs. These animals swallow the most ripe and delicious fruits of coffee trees, and then people pick up their excrement interspersed with grains, process it and make the elite drink kopi luwak. According to sellers, it "has a rare caramel hue, smells like chocolate and is the drink of the gods."

It is curious that once musangs in Southeast Asia were considered pests, until some inventor guessed to find a use for their excrement. It turned out that after treatment with enzymes contained in the stomach of animals, coffee beans change their taste properties, losing bitterness: the drink turns out to be tender and contains less caffeine. The high price of coffee is explained by the fact that genuine kopi luwak is made from the excrement of wild, not farmed, musangs, that is, in small quantities, and the processing and production process is extremely difficult. In the Russian market, prices for this coffee range from 2,300 to 10,800 rubles. for 100 g.

Meat is the favorite food of most people. Of course, we eat both plant foods and dairy products, but many perceive such food only as an addition to the main menu. Meat food is tasty and nutritious. The most common meat is pork, and the most expensive is beef. And if it is also marbled beef, then it can cost up to $ 1,000. Why is this meat special, and why is marbled beef the most expensive meat in the world?

This is a special type of meat, with a lot of thin fatty layers in the muscle tissue, which not only give the meat an unusually tender and juicy taste, but also the color - pink meat, riddled with white stains and really looks very much like marble.

In the process of cooking, the fat layers melt and fill the meat with juice - due to this, it acquires a unique softness and tenderness inherent only in it.

The more such layers in the meat, the higher its "marbling", and therefore the price. The degree of marbling also depends on which category the marbled beef falls into. The highest category is "Prime", followed by selective meat "Choise", and then the usual marbled meat - "Select".

The technology for obtaining such meat is quite complicated, lengthy and expensive, so it is not produced on an industrial scale.

This most expensive meat on the planet is obtained from a special breed of Wagyu cows, which for many centuries were grown only in Japan and were not exported to other countries of the world. And although in modern times these valuable animals are bred in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and even in Russia, the prices for marbled meat have not become lower.

Marbled meat owes its exceptional taste to a special technology for growing bulls. The lives of these thoroughbreds can be envied! Just imagine: up to 4-6 months old calves are soldered with milk, then slightly matured calves graze in ecologically clean meadows, and they live a free life for themselves, without human intervention. Then the bulls are placed in individual apartments with soundproof walls, where they are hung on the reins. This seemingly strange procedure is done so that the cattle cannot move, but also does not lie down, which is very important! Indeed, for an even distribution of layers of fat in muscle tissues, the muscles of the bulls must be in tension.

Throughout this period, the animals are not only fed with selected grains, but also drunk with high-quality beer - to improve their appetite. The "marbling" of future meat is the greater, the longer the goby feeds on grain. On average, the grain feeding standard is 200-300 days.

But that's not all! In order for the fat from such a good life not to be deposited anywhere, but to go into the meat and form thin marble veins, the bull is given a vibromassage, reminiscent of beating, and Japanese classical music is turned on to improve digestion. Is it any wonder that in the end the meat of such a bull turns out to be tender, juicy, melting in your mouth like butter. It is not for nothing that in Japan they say about marbled beef that it is "meat that does not need teeth."

By the way, in Russia, Nikita Khrushchev was the first to appreciate the taste of marbled beef. He had a chance to try marbled beef steak during a business visit to the United States. Khrushchev liked this unusual tasty delicate dish so much that upon returning to Russia, the Secretary General asked his personal chef to cook beef for him using the same technology. However, in terms of taste, the resulting dish could not repeat the American steak. It was then that it turned out that marbled beef has its own secret, which is not at all in the recipe for its preparation, but in a special kind of meat, which allows this dish to convey all the best taste sensations.

After that, by decree of Khrushchev, a specialized livestock farm was equipped, to which bulls of a special breed were supplied from Europe, which later served as the main sources of marbled meat for the Soviet leader. For a long time in Russia, marbled beef was a delicacy for the elite. And only in the last decade it has become possible to taste this amazing meat in the restaurants of the largest Russian cities.