Updated On: November 03, 2023 by 
Miral Nassar
Here is a list of the luxury grocery items that you should at least once try if you like gourmet dining and value quality over quantity.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is thought to be the healthiest olive oil because it is made from unprocessed, cold-pressed olives. This premium oil has several applications and is high in antioxidants and beneficial monounsaturated fat.
Lambda is a super-premium extra virgin olive oil from Greece that advertises itself as the first luxury olive oil in the world. Greek Koroneiki olives are used in the production of this multi-award-winning oil by Speiron Co.
The olives are hand-picked and cold-pressed from some of Greece’s oldest olive trees. This olive oil has a strong fruity flavour and is hand-bottled and labelled.
Oysters
Oysters were a common, inexpensive bar snack 200 years ago. Oysters, however, became a rare food because to overfishing, which decreased their supply.
Over 2,000 years ago, the Romans began to produce oysters. In 97 B.C., the businessman and entrepreneur Caius Sergius Orata established artificial oyster beds!
Oysters are a somewhat expensive food item today that are typically served fresh and on ice. The expensive oysters in the world are Coffin Bay King Oysters. They grow in 6 to 7 years, weigh 1 kilo, and are priced at around 77 USD.
Goose Barnacles
These distinctive-looking crustaceans, often known as stalked barnacles, are found on rocks and flotsam. Gooseneck barnacles can only be collected at low tide or while free diving.
They are among the priciest seafood in the world as a result. Goose barnacles, which are indigenous to the Eastern Atlantic, can be found in Australia, Cape Verde, France, Morocco, and Spain. Spain’s Galicia region produces the most valuable geese barnacles.
Goose barnacles can cost up to $125 per pound. Because of their somewhat saline flavour, gooseneck barnacles are best consumed with vinho verde wine.
Wagyu Beef
Wagyu beef is known for its rich flavour and fat marbling and is said to be juicier and more tender than standard steaks. Whether you’re cooking steaks on the grill or beef stroganoff for a special date night in, this turns into a flavor-filled dish. The majority of the best wagyu beef originates from Japan. Wagyu is Japanese for cow.
However, great American wagyu beef is now now available, giving Japanese wagyu a run for its money. The Matsusaka region of Mie Prefecture produces the most costly cut of Japanese wagyu.
The virgin female cows used to produce these Japanese Wagyu steaks. Wagyu beef of the highest calibre can cost up to $200 per pound. In 2002, a cow from Matsusaka sold for 50 million yen, or roughly $400,000.
Kobe Beef
One of the best and most expensive foods in the world is kobe beef. The Tajima breed of cattle, which is indigenous to the Kobe region of Japan, is used to produce the beef.
Each year, only about 3,000 cows are designated as kobe. The cattle are reared under stringent regulations and fed a diet that includes beer and cereals.
As a result, the beef is exceptionally delicious and soft. The most expensive pounds of Kobe steak can cost over $250 each.
Vanilla
Unexpectedly, one of the most costly foods in the world is a simple vanilla bean. The most labor-intensive crop in the world, vanilla can cost up to $600 per pound. The one day a year that the vanilla blooms requires manual pollination.
However, Tahitian vanilla, the best of the best, is not just any vanilla. While Tahitian vanilla beans have a rich flavour with notes of cherry, anise, and plum, Madagascar vanilla beans are the most often cultivated variety. They impart an unmatched silky texture and sweet flavour to foods like Tahitian vanilla ice cream.
Tropical storms have decreased the supply of vanilla beans on the market, which has caused prices to skyrocket.
Kopi Luwak Coffee
Kopi luwak, sometimes referred to as civet coffee, is one of the most expensive coffees in the entire world. This is due to the fact that it is manufactured from coffee beans that the Asian palm civet consumed and then passed on.
Although it might sound disgusting, the coffee beans actually go through a fermentation process while they are inside the civet’s digestive system, giving the beverage a smoother, sweeter flavour. Although kopi luwak coffee is frequently highly pricey, those seeking a truly exceptional experience could find it to be worth the cost.
Coffee from Kopi Luwak can frequently cost up to $700 per pound.
Matsutake Mushrooms
Matsutake is the best and most expensive mushroom in the world, selling for up to $1,000 a pound. It takes some getting used to the sweet-spicy flavour of these Japanese mushrooms.
The pinewood nematode worm is destroying their native environment, which is one of the reasons they are so expensive. Only one harvest of the Matsutake mushroom occurs each year
There are fewer than 1,000 tonnes harvested annually. It’s better to season these mushrooms lightly to let their unique flavour come through.
Ethical Foie Gras
The free range geese used for ethical foie gras are raised on family farms where they are allowed to roam, whereas regular foie gras is quite contentious. Examples include La Pateria Du Sousa and FoieGood.
On their way from Europe to Africa, geese have a stopover in Spain where they naturally put on weight in order to fly. There is no force feeding involved in the process, and the animals are not given any hormones or antibiotics.
The geese freely take a diet heavy in protein-containing grains. Costs for ethical foie gras can reach $1540 per pound.
Pule Cheese
Pule is manufactured from donkey and goat milk and is frequently regarded as the best and most expensive cheese in the world. Pule cheese is a luxury in the Balkans, where it originates.
The flavour of this white cheese is robust and pungent. Due to its high calcium and protein content, pulse cheese is also considered to provide health advantages. This unusual cheese is extremely uncommon and challenging to produce.
Compared to up to 60 litres for cows, female donkeys, known as jennies, generate about 2 litres of milk every day. Additionally, Zasavica Special Nature Reserve in Serbia is the only place where pule cheese is made.
A pound of pule cheese can therefore cost up to $1,700.
Iberico Ham
Spanish Iberian ham, which is derived from the rear legs of black pigs, is a true luxury.
These wild black pigs eat acorns, or bellota as they are known in Spanish. Jamón Iberico de Bellota is its full name. This ham also goes by the name Pata Negra, which translates to “black paw,” and gets its taste from the oleic acid in acorns.
Iberian ham takes 24 to 36 months to mature. The price of an entire leg of jamón ibérico might reach $4,500. On the plus side, once the vacuum pack is opened, the ham will keep for up to one month.
Saffron
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, costing up to $5,000 at wholesale pricing and up to $10,000 per pound at retail prices. The answer is that one pound of saffron spice requires 75,000 saffron flowers!
Only one week out of every year, the saffron plant, sometimes called the saffron crocus, blooms. Saffron harvesting requires a lot of manual labour.
The good news is that saffron is extremely potent. Saffron is a flavorful ingredient that can be added to paella, risotto, and basic fish marinades.
Saffron has a lot of health advantages. This powerful spice may also enhance mood and lessen PMS symptoms while assisting in the prevention of inflammation.
Fugu Fish
One serving of fugu, or puffer fish, in a Japanese restaurant can cost up to $470. This is due to the fact that this fish can be fatal if improperly prepared.
Only chefs with at least three years of training are allowed to cook the fugu fish because it contains the poison tetrodotoxin. The fish, also referred to as tiger fugu, has a moderate flavour and a slightly chewy texture.
Black Watermelon
This distinctive fruit from Japan, also known as a Densuke Melon, is one of the most expensive foods. These watermelons are from the Hokkaido island and have a sweet, crisp flavour.
Less than 100,000 of these watermelons are typically available each year since they require room and months of care. Densuke Watermelons can sell for up to $6,000 at auction because of their rarity.
In Japan, they are a cherished gift during big events like weddings.
Black and White Truffles
Truffles are a must-have on any list of the world’s priciest foods. Not the sort that pigs dig up, but the kind that are not made of chocolate.
This is by far the most expensive real ingredient you can buy while grocery shopping, costing $480 per pound. But it’s well worthwhile.
White truffles are even more valuable than black truffles, which are known as “black jewels.” These fungus are a well-known delicacy that may be found in Tuscany, Piedmont, and other regions of Italy.
Locals use truffle pigs or expensive breeds of dogs like Lagotto Romagnolo to find the tuber magnatum, or Alba white truffles. The price of a pound of fresh white winter truffles ranges from $6,000 to $10,000.
Chefs only occasionally use white truffles because of their significant expense. Fresh white truffle can be grated and added to omelettes or used as a delectable salad dressing. Having white truffle butter on hand makes cooking easier.
A trained pig or dog can seek for and dig up uninjured black truffles in Europe, where they grow on the roots of trees. They contain unique compounds that improve the flavour of dishes like risotto, pasta, and eggs.
Caviar
Fish from the Black and Caspian Seas are traditionally used to produce caviar, or fish roe. Caviar is expensive because the sturgeon eggs must be manually collected, making it an acquired taste. However, fish farms are where almost all sturgeon eggs are produced. Two of the most expensive caviars are osetra and beluga from the Caspian Sea. Iranian Golden Almas caviar is renowned for its silky, delicate flavour. With a price tag of $34,500, it was the priciest caviar ever recorded by Guinness World Records. Only a few select restaurants, like Caviar House & Prunier in St. James’s, London, carry this unique caviar.
However, Strottarga Bianco is currently the most expensive caviar. This caviar made from albino fish eggs comes from the Siberian albino sturgeon and is dusted with 22 carat gold. The price of a single teaspoon of Strottarga Bianco can reach $37,000! In general, the more expensive the caviar is, the whiter the colour is.
Bluefin Tuna
Bluefin tuna tops the list of the priciest foods available worldwide. The steep cost per pound can exceed $5,000. In January 2020, a 600-pound bluefin tuna fetched an unbelievable $1.8 million at Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market.
The flavour and texture of bluefin tuna are delicate and meaty. However, the Pacific bluefin tuna is fragile, the Atlantic bluefin tuna is endangered, and the Southern bluefin tuna is extremely endangered. Serious overfishing is at blame for this.
The first sustainable option is the Usufuku Honten tuna fishery in Japan, which has MSC certification. According to a designated quota, they fish for bluefin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic.
Parmigiano Reggiano
At $20 per pound, it’s definitely a luxury purchase, but cheese lovers and consumers can rest easy knowing they’re getting the real deal. This cheese is created in the Parma region of Italy, using ingredients that are sourced locally, and it is aged for at least a year. You have never tasted anything like the flavour profile and taste it adds to any food.
Bronze-Dried Pasta
Pasta should be purchased with the extra money spent on Parmigiano Reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, and canned tomatoes.
A quality bronze dried pasta is well worth the extra money in terms of flavour. For roughly $3 per pound of pasta, you can purchase excellent bronze dried pasta that is imported from Italy.
