You have probably encountered the ridiculously overpriced thirty-dollar salad or pasta when dining in Los Angeles. You may even find yourself tempted to splurge on an eight-dollar juice from time to time. But some foods are beyond expensive and you may find yourself wondering who actually spends this much money on a meal. Here are the seven most ludicrous, amusing and absurdly priced foods in the world:
1. Matsuke mushrooms: These mushrooms sell for a whopping $1,000 a pound! Grown in Japan, this vegetable’s value is a result of its rarity; it is usually hidden under leaves on the floors of forests, and Japan’s annual harvest of the Matsuke mushroom is less than one thousand tons.
2. Wagyu Steak: This is not your average piece of meat! This commodity can be found in the fanciest restaurants for $2,800 per rib-eye. This Kobe beef is said to have come from cows that are only fed beer and are massaged daily in order to produce a unique tenderness.
3. Dansuke Watermelon: This fruit sells for $6,100 in Japan. If you’re like me, you’re wondering how a fruit that is comprised mostly of water can be worth so much dough. This black watermelon is most often given as a gift due to its incredible rarity and absurd price.
4. Italian White Alba Truffle: Some of us may have splurged on a pasta dish with a hint of truffle here and there…but the price of this particular truffle is off the charts. Associated Press reported that a Hong Kong real-estate investor and his wife paid $160,406 to have one of these mushrooms delivered to their home.
5. Westin Hotel Bagel: This is by no means the typical bagel that you might buy from the grocery store, or even from a gourmet bakery. Frank Tujague, the executive chef of the Westin Hotel in New York, created this masterpiece, which contains white-truffle cream cheese and goji-berry-infused Riesling jelly enhanced with golden leaves. This makes it a $1,000 breakfast—without tip or coffee.
6. Bluefin Tuna: This delicacy is sold at $1,365 per pound, and those who have the money pay $736,000 for a single 593-pound creature.
7. Almas Caviar: Caviar is expensive on its own—but throw in a tin made of 24-karat gold, and you get a $25,000 package. Only one store in the world, Caviar House & Prunier located in London’s own Picadilly, is known to carry this rare luxury.
