Eight of the World’s Most Expensive Ingredients

Published in Gourmet Live 04.11.12
There’s more to high-end edibles than lobster and foie gras: See what exorbitant ingredients Elizabeth Gunnison unearthed, and learn what’s behind the luxury pricing
1 of 8

Most Expensive Fruit: Yubari King Melons

What: Yubari is to melons what Kobe is to beef. The Japanese city has become famous for a particularly tasty melon cultivar that’s a cross between two cantaloupe varieties. Known as the Yubari King, this orange-fleshed melon is prized for its juicy sweetness as well as its beautiful proportions. Yubari King melons are often sold in perfectly matched pairs and are a highly prized gift sure to impress a host or employer.

How Much: The choicest melon pairs have been auctioned in Japan for as much as $26,000, but a standard Yubari melon costs between $50 and $100 in Japanese department stores.

Why Pay More: In a word, trendiness. The melons must be grown in Yubari to bear that name, and the small town produces only a limited number of these cult items each year.

PHOTO: FOTOSEARCH VALUE/GETTY IMAGES
1 of 8
Previous Button Top Next Button Top

Elizabeth Gunnison is a freelance writer based in New York. She currently serves as the online food correspondent for Esquire.com and contributes to such outlets as The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Esquire, and BonAppetit.com.

Related Links

More Food + Cooking

Follow Us

Subscribe to Gourmet