Top 10 most expensive products in the world
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 fetch up to $24,600 for a pair, which is the price two yubari were sold for at Sapporo's auction 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.
7. Saffron
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.