Top 10 Most Expensive Foods in the World

Potatoes are probably one of the most popular side dishes to have with a meal. That being said... how much would you pay for them? We're going to guess that it's not $550... per kilogram or $320 per pound. So what makes these spuds so spendy? Besides their salty taste, La Bonnotte Potatoes are only grown on Île de Noirmoutier, an island off the west coast of France, and can only be planted, fertilized, and harvested by hand due to their delicate nature. Oh, and they're only harvested once a year. You say po-TAY-to, and we say po-TAH... whoa.

We love chicken... sometimes ... but would you eat chicken if it's been dipped in motor oil? Fortunately, you don't have to make that decision with this bird, it just looks like you do. Native to Indonesia, the Ayam Cemani is a chicken that's all black, and we do mean all. Due to a dominant gene in the breed that causes hyperpigmentation, their feathers, beak, tongue, meat, bones, and even their internal organs are black. If you're curious about what they taste like, one chicken can cost as much as $2,500. If you can't afford that, their chicks are around $200.

Probably not the ham you serve at Easter... even if the leftovers would make a hell of a sandwich. For nearly $200 a pound, you can sink your teeth into this exquisite ham. It starts with the black Iberian pig, a pig that is fed only acorns and roots in its last phase of life to give the meat its distinctive flavor. Then the meat is cured between 2 and 4 years -- yep, years - before it's shipped off in a handmade wooden box that comes with a homemade apron and... a DNA certificate of authenticity? We suppose for that kind of money, we'd want our ham's paperwork in order too.

Often used in sushi and sashimi for its tender meat, this species of tuna is usually purchased for extraordinary amounts of money. The estimated average goes as high as $3,500 a pound, and with adult fish averaging roughly 500 pounds and can weigh upwards of 1500 pounds... so it's little wonder why fishermen are trying so hard to catch them, especially when one sold for 1.76 MILLION DOLLARS in 2013 Due to its large size and how thinly it's sliced, you could get a lot of meat out of it, but we venture to guess that the exuberant price tag is at least partly due to the fish being endangered.

The best part of waking up? The excrements of the Asian palm civet. Believe it or not, the most expensive coffee in the world comes from... dookie. It turns out that the Asian palm civet can't properly digest red coffee cherries - also known as berries - and beans, so they, just pass through the animal's digestive system. In other words... they poop them out. However, that attempt at digestion does something to the berries and beans, which apparently adds to their flavor when brewed. It's a process that leaves only the truly daring curious enough to try the coffee, especially with the $100 - $600 a pound price tag.

Most of us would be fine with the average mushroom, but if you're looking for something more refined, there's truffles -- and no, not the oil. There are various kinds, but the ones that turn heads and get invited to all the best parties are the rare black truffles. However, white truffles are the rarest of the rare. They only grow during the autumn months, are almost exclusive to Northern Italy, and used to be dug up by specially trained pigs - until the practice was banned in Italy in 1985 - so now dogs are used. The fungi are typically shaved or grated onto your food, so it's more of a garnish than a side dish, and they run about $275... per ounce.

We're actually not sure how this humble fruit became a high-end commodity. Perhaps it's due to it being a hybrid of two types of cantaloupe, or the taste, or the fact that it's only grown in Yubari, Japan in limited quantities... or maybe Japan just likse melons ). The Yubari King - or kings, as they're often given as a set -- have to be perfectly round with a smooth rind in other to meet the status quo, and pairs have been auctioned at as high as $26,000. If you can't afford that much flair, you can also get these melons for a mere $50 - $100 in supermarkets.

This is for the beef enthusiasts who have a couple hundred -- or thousand -- to spend... per pound. If you've had a taste of Kobe, you probably consider it to be the best of the bests. Well... Kobe is a variety of Wagyu, a good variety... but we can do even better, according to some critics anyway! Wagyu is the name given to Japanese bred cattle, and much like any meat, it's all about how the animals are treated. The cows are essentially treated like royalty by being hand fed and even massaged with oil to make sure their meat is tender - though the latter isn't actually what affects the marbling, but is rather for the animals' comfort - and the result is the most mouth-watering beef in the world.

Why don't we pair all of these exquisite foods with a nice glass of champagne. Champagne is one of those things that makes you feel sophisticated, an experience this house has been delivering since 1811. On top of having a 12 bottle set for $50,000, they also have the oldest champagne bottles in the world! In 2009, they opened one of these bottles from 1825, much to the delight of the critics in attendance for the event. While opinions varied on the taste, ranging from white truffles to figs, one thing was clear: Perrier-Jouët was, and still is, serious business.

Before we get to our most luxurious food item, let's raise a glass to these honorable mentions:

Saffron

Fugu

Our number one entry has all the checkmarks for an exotic, expensive dining experience. A ritzy food that is an acquired taste? Check. Something that comes from a rare species? Check, thanks to the albino beluga sturgeon, whose roe is harvested between the ages of 60 and 100 according to the Guinness World Records. An eye-catching appearance? Check, because it definitely looks like you're about to eat the fanciest of pearls. And last, but not least, a mind-blowing price tag that would instantly put you into debt? Reports go as high as $34,500 for 2 pounds, but hey, at least it comes in a gold container!
Do you agree with our list? What's your favorite expensive food to dream about? For more top tens to whet your appetite, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.