From Hokkaido melons to Kobe steak, the 5 most expensive foods in the world

Special cultivation techniques, scrupulous breeders and, sometimes, fraud. There are many factors that can cause a food to fetch very high prices.

Fruit, mushrooms in danger of extinction, meat grown with very special techniques. These are part of the list of foods so exclusive that they can reach dizzying prices, often the protagonists of record-breaking auctions and destined for the tables of the richest.

But what are the five most expensive foods in the world?

Yubari King Melons

First up is the Yubari King melon, a variety grown in special greenhouses located in Yubari, on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. This is a hybrid between two types of melons. What's so special about them? A bright orange flesh that's very sweet and juicy, a perfect spherical shape, and a uniform, net-like skin.

Each plant produces only one melon per year, and farmers obsessively monitor light, temperature, and humidity, as they are monitored day after day. Finally, the water used for irrigation is only mineral. The first two melons of the season are auctioned off each year. In 2019, they sold for a record 5 million yen, or about 40,000 euros.

Ivory-colored caviar

Second place goes to Almas caviar, considered the Persian diamond and obtained from Iranian albino Beluga sturgeons, which are extremely rare and so long-lived that they can live for more than a hundred years. Their ivory-colored eggs are much lighter than those of classic caviar, have a soft, creamy consistency and a delicate aroma. This type of caviar is produced in limited quantities and is sold in 24-carat gold boxes, worth over 25 thousand euros per kg.

Japanese mushrooms

Matsutake mushrooms, in third place, grow in Japanese coniferous forests. They are very rare and have an intense, spicy aroma. Their collection becomes increasingly difficult every year due to the loss of natural habitat and for this reason they can reach up to 2 thousand euros per kg. These mushrooms are celebrated in Japanese culture as a symbol of the autumn season and are cooked in simple recipes, often in broth or with rice, so as not to mask their unique aroma.

The most expensive chocolate in the world

In fourth place, with a fair margin over the rest of the products on the list, is chocolate made by Noka, a Texas company known for its exclusive Vintage collection, which costs around $1,700 per kg. This collection, made up of dark chocolates from Venezuela, Ivory Coast and Ecuador, with 75 percent bitter cocoa, had a “tasting guide” inside each box to enhance the sensory experience of the individual pieces. However, in 2011, an investigation revealed that Noka chocolate came from a much cheaper French company. This discovery led to the company’s eventual closure later that year.

Kobe steak

Finally, in fifth place is Kobe beef steak, one of the most precious in the world, which can reach up to 1000 euros per kg. Some urban legends say that these cattle, a variant of the Wagyu breed, receive obsessive care throughout their lives. Beyond the myth, specimens of the Tajima breed, raised in the Kobe region of Japan, really receive special care. The result is meat so marbled and tender that it seems like butter, which is why only a few calves each year manage to receive the official "Kobe beef" certificate and in restaurants that can boast of serving it, a steak can easily cost over 500 euros. (A2 Televizion)