The Rarest Foods From Around The World

1. Almas Caviar

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You’ve very likely heard of caviar and the usual type is not hard to come by.  However, try and source Almas caviar and that's a different story.  It comes from the rare Iranian Beluga and a specific region in the South Caspian Sea.  Also, the Beluga has to be an albino so now you can understand why it's like gold dust to track it down!

2. Densuke Watermelon

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A Densuke watermelon originates from Japan and is extremely difficult to get hold of.  It comes from Japan and both the exterior and interior of the watermelon are black which is strange in itself.  It's almost seedless, very crisp and extra sweet and hails with a price tag of up to $3,000 dollars - that's for one!

3. Bird’s Nest Soup

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Bird’s nest soup as we know it, from our favorite Japanese restaurants, is not the real deal.  The authentic one is a Japanese delicacy, consisting of hardened saliva from swiftlet birds' nests (sorry if you're eating right now).  The saliva dissolves in the broth and apparently boasts health benefits and has medicinal properties.  It's incredibly rare because of the difficulty in obtaining it.

4. Saffron

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If you are ever trying out a new recipe at home and it incudes saffron, you'll have to shell out a costly sum to purchase even a small amount of it as it's a rare spice.  It comes from a flower named crocus sativus which is high is flavor  and antioxidants with a subtle sweetness to it.  Use sparingly and it can bring a dish to life.

5. Kobe Beef

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Kobe beef is a type of wagyu, a Japanese steak from the Tajima black cattle which are raised in Japan’s Hyōgo Prefecture.   There are strict rules as to what the cattle eat, the environment they live in,  the amount of exercise they get and much more.  The costly beef is rich and beautifully marbled.  It has a "soft as butter" texture and a flavor to die for.  Kobe beef only available in specialist eateries.

6. White Truffles

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White truffles are also known as winter truffles, Alba truffles or Piedmont truffles.  They are one of the rarest foods in the whole world with a price tag to match.  The truffles are so well loved, especially by top chefs, because of the aromatic and intense flavor they give off.  They are usually served as shavings over a hand prepared special dish.

7. Matsutake Mushroom

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The Matsutake mushroom originates from China.  It is a rare delicacy and has an earthy taste, as you might expect, but the white flesh also has a spice kick to it.  As these mushrooms grow in very small crops, this makes them very precious.  Their pungent woody flavor is immediately recognizable to fungi experts.

8. Casu Marzu

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Casu Marzu is known as “the world’s most dangerous cheese."  This is because the sheep milk that is used, from the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia, has live insects in it, similar to maggots!  Yes, it sounds disgusting but it is highly sought after and very expensive - that is if you can even get hold of it.

9. Yubari King Melon

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If you're not a fan of the black Densuke watermelon, then maybe the Yubari King melon is more up your street, although it is also very rare.  It hails from Japan and is a type of cantaloupe but that's where the similarity to the grocery store cantaloupe ends.  These melons require constant attention and loving care.  They are very high maintenance, taking 100 days to grow and the result is a "sweet as honey" fruit with a great texture.

10. Black Truffles

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Black truffles are rare, they are expensive but they are beautiful.  They are known as Perigord truffles or black truffles and they work their magic by elevating and complementing other ingredients, especially proteins and starches.  Black truffles are used in tiny amounts but give big results.

11. Caffe Raro

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Caffe Raro is a rare coffee, combining Kopi Luwak beans and Japanese Blue Mountain beans.  It can cost over a thousand dollars for a four ounce packet and even if you are inquisitive to try it, you'll have to seek it out at specialist, luxury stores.  If you are in London, Harrods do stock it.

12. Donkey Cheese

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Donkey cheese, which doesn't sound great but don't judge, is so rare because of how complicated it is to produce it.  Only a hundred female Balkan donkeys will get milked and it takes almost seven gallons of milk to churn two pounds of donkey cheese.  Because of this, it is a rare dairy product that you will not often see.

13. Raw Puffin Heart

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This sounds a bit uncomfortable but here goes.  Puffins are small seabirds and they are distinguished by their colorful beaks. The raw heart of a puffin is a traditional delicacy in Iceland.  It has a beef jerky flavor to it besides the obvious fishy taste.  The texture is like liver dishes, smooth and slippery and a bit chewy!  Very rare in other countries, it's unlikely you will see it on the menu.

14. Ayam Cemani

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An Ayam Cemani is a very special type of chicken from Indonesia.  Its hyper-pigmentation makes its feathers completely black which is a bit strange.   The chicken’s meat and its eggs are known in Indonesia as a delicacy.  It looks weird when it's cooked as the skin is black, quite extraordinary!

15. Abalone

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Have you ever hear of an Abalone .  It is a type of mollusc which can be found in coastal saltwater.  The mollusc mussel inside the ten inch shell has a luxurious, buttery flavor although is a little chewy.  The Abalone is becoming more and more rare due to the critically low population of the species.

16. Fugu

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Fugu looks weird!  It is a pufferfish or blowfish that is extremely poisonous to humans when unprepared.  It is rare and typically gets served as nabemo and sashimi in top Japanese restaurants.  Its flavor is also strange as it starts off with a delicate taste and then moves on to a stronger, more prominent one.  The texture is not dissimilar to raw salmon.

17. Kopi Luwak

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Kopi Luwak is certainly a very special type of coffee.  Also known as civet coffee, it contains partially digested coffee cherries which have been consumed by an Asian palm civet and passed through its intestines and then defecated!  These animals are caught in the wild and sold for this purpose.

18. Ruby Roman Grapes

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Ruby Roman grapes are no ordinary vine fruits!  They are plump grapes which have been cultivated with such care and attention. They are grown in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture where the greenhouse environment has to be controlled and closely monitored.  Wait for it - a bunch can cost a thousand dollars but, on the plus side, they are super sweet and refreshing!

19. Sea Cucumber

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A sea cucumber is no relation to anything you'll see in the salad aisle at the grocery store!  It is a delicacy associated with status, popular in China and served only at special occasions.  These sea creatures taste a bit like water chestnuts with a hint of cabbage!  They are unique in every way and not readily available.

20. Iberian Ham

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Iberian ham is rare but you should be able to search it out if you know where to look. It's the shoulder of a pig which has lived on a diet of acorns for ts whole life. The pig's thick fat makes it so juicy and coupled with the intense flavor of the ham, it's a perfect combination.

21. Caciocavallo Podolico

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There are a few varieties of caciocavallo but the Podolica is the creme do la creme.   It is known as the noblest of the cheese varieties and is named after the free roaming cows it comes from but doesn't come cheap.  The cave aged stretch-curd cheese can be recognised by its tear drop shape and it tastes slightly similar to Provolone. It sells for approximately $140 per kilogram.

22. Edible Gold Leaf

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We know you won't be decorating your cupcakes with real gold leaf.  If you're like my family, they will all be eaten before they've cooled down from the baking process!  However, in the best restaurants and apparently in casinos in Vegas, it is sprinkled over desserts and ice cream sundaes.  If you're interested, it's about $70 for a few grams.

23. Ethical Foie Gras

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Ultra rich foie gras is made from force-fed goose liver and this is ethically questionable.  There is an alternative In Spain,  La Pateria de Sousa’s “ethical foie gras” retails at $700 per kilogram.  There is a very long waiting list as only small numbers of the livers are produced each year.

24. Gooseneck Barnacles

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Gooseneck barnacles from Galicia are crazily hard to harvest.  The fisherman risk their lives to pick the barnacles from surf-smashed rocks.  A good harvest can bring in more than $500 per kilogram.  These filter-feeding crustaceans live by attaching themselves to hard surfaces of rocks and they float mainly in the ocean intertidal zone.

25. Iranian Pistachios

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These ultra tasty Iranian pistachios are bright green and are prized for their amazing, subtle taste.  Once you start eating them you can't stop but think of the cost before you scoff the lot.  They are around $175 a kilogram.  The Australian ones are a similar price and taste just as good.

26. Moose Cheese

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Moose cheese is, of course, produced with moose milk and remains the costliest cheese on earth.  It is processed and found purely in Sweden selling for about US$ 1,000 per kilogram.  It's so expensive because of the time it takes to cultivate and this makes it so rare.

27. Chayote

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A chayote is an edible plant and popular in Latin cuisine but only on special occasions as it's not readily available.  Its flavor can't be described as packing a punch.  It has a mild taste of apple and cucumber, a little bland, but fresh and crisp.  Chayotes are packed with nutrients

28. Lutefisk

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Lutefisk is a Nordic dish which is made from dried fish soaked in lye.  It's quite rare and one of those foods that you either love or hate.  It is associated with hardship so has a story behind it.  Lutefisk can be found in the United States and is mainly served in churches.

29. Ortolan Bunting

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An Ortolan Bunting is a small bird traditionally eaten whole in France.  Hard to come by, many of these birds are captured and sold illegally, each one fetching around $180.  There have been secret gatherings, later posted online, showing the elusive meal being eaten.

30. Milt

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Warning - the description is not pretty!  Milt is the sperm sac of fish and is used in Japanese cuisine.  It is the seminal fluid of molluscs and other water dwelling creatures who reproduce by spraying this fluid on to fish eggs, known as roe.  As we know, the roe is made into caviar.