The French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once wrote, “Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you what you are.” To some people, food is merely a way to nourish the body. For food fanatics, eating is a pleasurable experience that should be savored and enjoyed. The world’s most expensive foods are not for those who keep weekly tabs on food expenses and grocery shopping lists. While they seem so ordinary and convenient, some extremely wealthy people are willing to spend thousands of dollars to indulge in these pleasures.
1. $2,700 Mushroom

At almost $3,000 per pound, the white truffle takes the title of the world’s most expensive mushroom. Truffles are long revered by top-caliber chefs as the “diamond of the kitchen,” because of its earthy, well-rounded flavor. Truffles are used sparingly in many sophisticated dishes, and are a mark of wealth and opulence. White truffles can only be found in the wild at the Piedmont region of northern Italy, and is only harvested and sold in the fall season. For a mushroom harvested by specially trained dogs and pigs, that’s a lot of money.
2. $11,000 Spice

Saffron is not for those who think that they can spice up their dishes with a pinch of pepper. Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice, at $11,000 per kilogram. Harvesting and preparing saffron is very labor-intensive; the spice is derived from the dried and prepared stigmas of the saffron crocus. It takes over 200,000 flowers to make just one kilogram of saffron, which is the equivalent of planting flowers over three football fields. The spice is prized for its honey-like, metallic aroma, although its flavor has been described as similar to hay. Paella, one of Spain’s most famous dishes, is flavored by saffron.
3. $5,000 Fish Eggs

Almost everyone knows that caviar is expensive, but the most expensive caviar in the world is the Beluga caviar, which is branded in Iran as Almas caviar. The finest caviar in the world is made from the roe of the Beluga sturgeon, an endangered species found in the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. To get at the egg mass, the female sturgeon is killed, and the roe is packed immediately into tins without any processing and additives or preservatives added. Beluga caviar is best enjoyed when eaten with a spoon made from mother-of-pearl, and is served with egg whites or toast points.
4. $25,000 Chocolate Sundae

If you love dessert, a $25,000 chocolate sundae is more than enough to satisfy your sugar cravings and empty your life savings. The Serendipity 3 restaurant in New York City set a Guinness World Record for the “Frrrozen Haute Chocolate,” which is the world’s most expensive dessert. For the price of a semester in Harvard University, you can indulge in a frozen sundae made from cocoas from 14 different countries, infused with five grams of 23-carat gold, topped with gold-topped whipped cream, and served with a side of La Madeleine au Truffle. If that doesn’t justify the price tag, the sundae is served in a gold-lined crystal goblet, and an 18-carat gold bracelet studded with 1-carat diamonds.
5. $2,000,000 Liquor

They say that fine wine tastes better with age. It tastes even better when it’s 100-year-old cognac grande champagne, bottled in four kilograms of pure platinum, 24-karat yellow gold, and studded with 6,500 diamonds. The Henri IV Dudognon Heritage is called “The DNA of Cognac,” and holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s most expensive liquor bottle. The Henri IV Dudognon Heritage has been aged in French oak barrels for 100 years. No one has yet to buy the bottle, much less have poured a drink from it.
6. $5,000 Hamburger

The $5,000 FleurBurger, served at the Fleur de Lys at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, is not for those who like eating at McDonald’s. The patty is made from 100% Kobe beef, and is served with foie gras and truffle sauce on a brioche truffle bun. The FleurBurger comes with a bottle of Chateau Petrus 1990. To complete this sophisticated and expensive version of a Happy Meal, you get to keep the Ichendorf Brunello imported Italian carafes used to serve your wine. The Mandalay Bay will also deliver a certificate of authenticity to your home that proves you didn’t lose $5000 on the tables at Las Vegas, but on a single burger.
7. $1,000 Coffee

Forget the Grande Mocha Frappucinos you drink at Starbucks; at $1000 a kilogram, the most expensive coffee in the world is the Kopi Luwak from Indonesia. Kopi Luwak, also known as Civet Coffee, is made from coffee berries eaten by civets. The coffee berries pass through the digestive system of the animal. After the coffee beans are literally pooped out by the animal, the beans are lightly washed, lightly roasted, packaged, and sold. While coffee beans made from cat poop may sound disgusting, it very rare and is coveted by true coffee lovers.
8. $71,000 Cocktail

Party-goers who like a bit more punch for getting drunk may want to try the $71,000 “Flawless” Christmas cocktails from the Movida nightclub in London. The drink is made from a measure of Louis XII cognac, Cristal Rose champagne, brown sugar, angostura bitters, and flakes of edible 24-carat gold leaf. The real treat to the “Flawless” is the 11-carat white diamond ring at the bottom of the glass. A security detail is on hand to watch over the preparation and consumption of the drink down to the last sip.
9. $3,700 Pizza

The Pizza Royale 007 is not your average pizza from Pizza Hut or Domino’s. For $3,700, you get an expert-made Italian pizza topped with caviar marinated in champagne, Mediterranean lobster, and sprinkled with gold leaf. The pizza is then doused with $2000 worth of Louis XII Rémy Martin cognac before it’s baked to perfection in a genuine pizza oven. For that kind of pizza, they must pay for it if it doesn’t get delivered on time.
10. $1,000 Potato

Who says potatoes are cheap? For $1,000 a kilogram, the “La Bonnotte” potato is an extinct variety found only on the French island of Noirmoutier. The potatoes need special care, and should only be fertilized with local seaweeds. Only 100 tons of this potato are harvested each year, and are only sold to top French restaurants. These potatoes are just too good for French fries.

Now that you know 10 of the most expensive foods in the world, you may want to consider saving up a lot of money for a taste of the best. You may not be able to afford one of these in a lifetime, but it makes you enjoy the simple pleasures of everyday delights.