What are the rarest foods in the world? Have you tried any of them? If you think you have exclusive taste, take a look at our top 5 rare foods list to find out whether any of your favourite foods make the cut.
1. Saffron
Here in Singapore, saffron is used to flavour several dishes on gourmet Indian menus, so you may have tried it before. However, if you’ve ever wondered why dishes containing real saffron demand a high price tag, it’s because this plant is incredibly rare. The harvesting process requires very high cultivation for very little yield-just one pound of saffron requires 50,000 to 75,000 tiny crocus sativa flowers to produce and can cost over $6,500 SGD. As a result, much of the saffron on the market is fake.
2. Bird’s Nest Soup
The phenomenon of bird’s nest soup came to Singapore from China, where it’s believed that this dish has high benefits for nutrition and skin as well as unmatched flavour. The name ‘Bird’s Nest Soup’ conjures up ideas of twigs and feathers, but the truth behind this dish sounds even more unappetising. It’s actually made up of the dried saliva of birds called swiftlets. But the reason this soup is so rare isn’t that it’s an acquired taste-it’s because the nests themselves sell for almost $9,000 SGD per pound!
Kobe Beef
If you’ve ever tucked into to a pricy cut of filet mignon, you may think you’ve already tried the rarest beef in the world. However, there’s a variety out there that’s even more expensive-Kobe Beef. This meat comes only from the wagyu cow, a breed of cattle in Japan that’s given very unique treatment on the farm: daily massages to make their meat tender and even relaxing swigs of beer. The meat itself is marbled and cooked just right for an unbeatable melt-in-the-mouth texture. The price tag for this luxury steak? As much as $1,000 SGD per kilogram.
4. Perigord Black Truffle
You can find expensive truffle-infused foods at many restaurants, but not all truffles are made equal. The rarest one out there is the Perigord Black Truffle. With an exterior that sparkles like a gem in the light and an intensely aromatic smell unlike any other, this truffle is thought to be the ultimate aphrodisiac. The Perigord is notoriously hard to find, but if you do, it could set you back more than $3,000 SGD per pound.
5. Almas Caviar
When asking yourself “what are the rarest foods in the world?”, it’s no surprise that caviar makes the list. Often referred to as ‘black gold’, the incredibly rare eggs of Almas Caviar can only be harvested from a 100-year-old albino sturgeon species that breeds only in certain areas of the Caspian Sea. Since this fish is one of the rarest in the world, it’s no surprise that the eggs are just as hard to come by. If you want a taste of this decadent rarity, it will set you back a whopping $25,000 SGD per pound.