Food, glorious food! While in many ways you can’t beat something as simple and straightforward as a full English or a takeaway curry, sometimes the palate craves a meal which is a little bit more sophisticated. Let’s take a look at some of the most expensive food and drink of all time, as per the Guinness World Records site. While it will take a lottery win for most of us to be able to afford to dine at these prices, at least we can still dream.
Think of the most expensive dish of food, and what comes immediately to mind? I suspect that most people will answer ‘caviar’, and indeed the Almas caviar from the Beluga fish is the most expensive food in the world. This particular strain of caviar must come from fish aged between 60 and 100 years old, and which dwell in the (relatively) pollution-free waters of the Caspian Sea. A kilo of this ‘black gold’ would set you back a cool £20,000.
Not a fan of caviar? Maybe a nice, simple hamburger will tickle your fancy. How expensive could a burger be, after all? Pretty expensive, it turns out, as Juicys Foods Company in Oregon prepare a very special burger. This monster weighs in at over 350 kilos and will cost $5,000 (£3,100) a pop. If you have a craving for a burger that King Kong would struggle with, and you’re in the area, make sure to give Juicys 48 hours’ notice so they can prepare your sandwich in time.
The biggest pizza in the world measured over a kilometre in diameter, and (suitably enough) was prepared in Rome, Italy. Unfortunately, that particular pizza is not for sale, but the priciest pizza you can buy is available from the Industry Kitchen in New York. This 24K Pizza comes in a more traditional size, but still commands a hefty price-tag of $2,000 (£1,600) each. The 24K refers to the 24-carat gold leaf which is sprinkled over the top of the dish, and the pizza also contains caviar, foie gras, and shavings of the most expensive truffles in the world.
If all of those dishes seem absurdly expensive, let’s try for something at least within the realms of affordability. The hot dog is an American classic, and we would need to pay a visit to Seattle to the Tokyo Dog Food Truck in order to sample the ‘Junni Ban’ dog. Containing wagyu beef, foie gras, truffles, and caviar, this foot-long hot dog was going for $169 (£110). Not exactly a bargain-basement price, but perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime treat for a fast food obsessive.
Let’s finish off with a little dessert, shall we? They say that you should go big or go home, and it doesn’t get much bigger than the Frrrozen Haute Chocolate ice-cream sundae. We are back in New York again, this time at the Serendipity 3 restaurant where this delicious dessert is on the menu. This chocolate luxury treat comes with some of the rarest cocoas in the world, as well as the rarest truffle – a popular ingredient on this list – and is topped with edible 24-carat gold. The dish is served in a crystal goblet which comes with an 18-karat gold and diamond bracelet (to keep), all for the rather hefty price-tag of $25,000 (£15,750).
What’s the most expensive dish you’ve ever tried?