Spices have shaped culinary traditions for centuries, adding depth and flavour to dishes worldwide. While some spices are common pantry staples, others are rare and highly prized, commanding astonishing prices. Let’s explore the ten most expensive spices in the world and discover what makes them so valuable. 10 Most Expensive Spices in the World Saffron Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, is primarily grown in Iran, Spain, and India. This luxurious spice commands a price of around $1,000 per pound due to its labour-intensive harvesting process. It takes approximately 75,000 flowers to produce just one pound of saffron.  The spice's deep red threads turn a vibrant golden-yellow when cooked which imparts an intense, earthy flavour and a delicate floral aroma to dishes. Saffron is revered not only for its culinary uses in Persian rice, Spanish paella, and Indian rice dishes as well as sweets but also for its medicinal properties.  Fennel Pollen Fennel pollen, often referred to as the "spice of angels," is one of the most expensive spices, with a price tag of around $450 per pound. Originating from Italy and the United States, this golden-yellow spice is highly prized for its sweet, liquorice-like flavour with hints of citrus and a floral aroma.  Read more: 10 Most Expensive Salts in the World The meticulous process of collecting and drying the tiny pollen grains from fennel flowers contributes to its high cost. Although every part of the fennel plant is used in global cuisines, the pollen is especially valued for its ability to elevate dishes with just a tiny pinch, adding a complex and intense flavour to meats, vegetables, and desserts.  Vanilla Vanilla, one of the most sought-after spices, originates from regions like Madagascar, Mexico, and Tahiti, with a price of around $200 per pound. Derived from the seed pods of a tropical orchid, vanilla’s high cost is due to the intricate hand pollination process and the lengthy curing period, which can take several months.  The spice’s black pods and creamy white seeds are renowned for their sweet, rich flavour and unparalleled aroma. Vanilla from Madagascar, known as Bourbon vanilla, is especially prized for its creamy and intense flavour. This makes it a key ingredient in countless desserts and beverages worldwide.  Mahlab Mahlab, originating from the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, is a rare and fragrant spice made from the seeds of the St. Lucie cherry. Priced at around $69 per pound, its cost is driven by the intricate process of extracting, drying, and grinding the cherry pits into a fine powder.  Read more: These are the 10 Most Expensive Teas in the World Mahlab’s pale yellow hue and unique flavour profile—combining notes of almonds, cherries, and a hint of vanilla—make it a cherished ingredient in traditional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Primarily used in baking, this spice adds a distinctive taste to breads, pastries, and cookies, infusing them with a sweet yet slightly bitter flavour.  Black Cumin Seeds Black cumin, native to North India, Iran, Morocco, and Egypt, is a prized spice known for its unique flavour and medicinal properties. Unlike regular brown cumin, black cumin (Bunium persicum) has a sweeter, citrusy flavour and is thinner and darker in appearance. Its cost of $39 per pound reflects its rarity and the distinct taste it imparts to dishes.  Widely used in Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines, black cumin seeds are often toasted and added to breads, tagines, vegetables, and meat dishes. Beyond culinary use, these seeds are also valued for their medicinal benefits, including alleviating bronchitis, rheumatism, and asthma. 

Food is one of the basic necessities of human survival. For food connoisseurs, food is the love of life. If you are a foodie, are you ready to pay for a meal that cost over 1000 dollars or Tk1 lac? Here is a list of the world's most expensive food items that only multi-millionaire foodies can try out.  Top 10 Costliest Foods for Humans on Earth  Wagyu Beef If you watch MasterChef Australia, you would be familiar with wagyu beef. This simply translates to “Japanese Beef” which comes from four different breeds of Japanese cow. Wagyu beef is famous for its intensely mottled fat that renders down during the cooking process. You will really love it as it is moist, tender, and melts in the mouth.  The rearing process of wagyu cows is very tough as the cows are required to be reared and fed according to strict guidelines. So, the price point amounts to around ₹40,000 (Tk50143) per kg. Read More: 5 Bonfire Night Recipes to Try this Winter Saffron Saffron is a type of seasoning, that almost all Indians use during special occasions. But Indians use it very carefully as to collect just 1kg of saffron, one has to collect over 3,00,000 flowers. The whole process of collecting saffron is not easy at all as it grows only for a week throughout the year during autumn.  Iranian saffron is the most expensive variety on earth. The price of Saffron ranges from $400 (Tk41092) to $1000 (TK102730) per kilogram. Asia and the Mediterranean are the main origins of Saffron.  Kopi Luwak Kopi Luwak is the most popular and highly costly coffee in the world. It is made from golden coffee beans that are collected from the feces of the civet, a small cat that lives in some parts of Asia.  Read More: 5 Delicious Winter Picnic Recipes The cat eats the coffee berries and exudes the whole beans as they can’t digest the beans. Then the farmers collect their precious droppings and then washed, pound, dry, and roast them. It will cost you around $600 (Tk61638) per pound.  Moose Cheese Cheese is always the most expensive milk product. But Moose is the costliest cheese in the world as it is produced with Moose milk. Only Sweden is the place where Moose cheese is processed and found. You exactly can’t get it anywhere else in the world. You will buy it for about US$ 1,000 (TK102730) per kilogram.  Moose cheese is so expensive as Milking Moose isn’t an easy task. Two sisters run a farm namely The Elk House (Älgens Hus) farm at Bjurholm in Sweden is considered to be the largest and the main producer of this cheese.  Read More: 5 Winter Vegetable Curry Recipes for Children ​White Truffles White truffles are underground fungi that grow in Europe. The climate of Europe is suitable for the growth of white truffles as they require very specific environments and climatic conditions to grow.  White Truffles are very expensive than the other varieties of mushrooms as they are available and cannot grow any place. You cost up to $1,000 a pound to buy white truffles. It is usually served with an omelet, butter, Parmesan, or risotto. White truffle is available in Italy, France, and the Pacific Northwest. Matsutake Mushrooms Matsutake mushrooms grow in Japan's Tamba region and it is considered one of the most expensive mushrooms. These mushrooms are famous because it has a special sweet and spicy taste.  Read More: 12 foods that shouldn’t be given to babies and children These mushrooms are harvested only once a year during autumn and are thought a delicacy in Japanese cuisine. Especially difficult to find and fragile, it is roughly priced between $1,000 (Tk1,02,730) to $2,000 (Tk2,05,460) for a pound.  Ayam Cemani Black Chicken Ayam Cemani Black chicken or Goth chicken is bred in Indonesia. Everything from feathers to the flesh is absolutely black including its tongue and organs. Just its blood is red.  As it is extremely rare, this breed of poultry costs a pretty sum of $5000 (TK5,13,650) per pair. In Indonesia, this breed is somehow cheap but outside the country, it is sold for thousands of dollars. This breed is also known and famous as a sports chicken. Read More: 5 Simple One-Skillet Dinner Recipes for Busy Bachelors Black Watermelon Densuke Melon is another name for black watermelon. It originates from Japan and is so expensive that these are not sold openly but rather auctioned every year. Traditionally, black melon is considered to be a priceless wedding gift for the Japanese. It requires large space to grow and grows only 1,00,000 Densuke watermelons each year. So, each melon costs up to $6,000 (Tk6,16,380). Swallow's Nest Soup  Swallow's nest soup or Chinese bird’s nest soup is loved by foodies around the globe. This soup is made from the saliva of Swiftlet birds. It is served in 3 different colors namely Red, Yellow, and White.  Read More: Top brain foods for studying and exams Among them, the red bird nest soup is the most expensive. You will be wondered to know that a bowl of this red bird’s nest soup costs $10,000 (Tk10,27,300) as it is the most delicious among the three varieties.  Countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar consider this soup a national cuisine. Albino Caviar If you think of fancy expensive food, you can think of caviar. These are fish eggs known to be one of the world’s most famous menus.  Read More: Top Instagrammable rooftop restaurants in Banani The priciest caviar in the world is Almas, which is harvested from endangered Iranian Albino Beluga sturgeons. So, White Pearl Albino Caviar is the most expensive variety of Caviar on earth.  The Caspian Sea is the origin of this fish that produced this rare caviar. However, they are now almost extinct in their native environment. If you want to buy it, you have to pay around $34,500 (Tk35,44,185) per kg to buy it. Not to mention, its price tag makes it clear why it is called a "Almas," the Russian term for diamond. Bottom Line So far we have listed the top 10 most expensive edible foods in the world. Here the approximate price of each food has been calculated according to the conversion rate of $1 equivalent to Tk102.73 and 1Rs to Tk1.25.  Read More: Health Benefits of Nigella Seeds (Kalijira) Each of these foods is rare, and difficult to breed or cultivate. Not to mention, every food on this list has some unique features. However, the exorbitant prices can’t assure the extraordinary taste or nutritional value of these foods. Still, foodies around the world are curious about these costliest foods. If you can afford these foods, will you try any of them?