The World's Finest Delicacies: From Truffles To Caviar
A touch of luxury surrounds the world's finest delicacies. These exquisite specialities are true treasures for gourmets. Some people are happy to dig a little deeper into their wallets for them.
Delicacies are true culinary jewels and fascinate palates all over the world. Most people would like to try the pleasure of these special delicacies at least once in their lives. But luxury also has its price. The elaborate production and limited availability make them precious and not so easily affordable.
However, the high price also reflects the unique quality and the effort invested in production. The search for the finest delicacies often leads to remote regions of the world. For the most part, they have a long or demanding production process behind them. This makes them special and unique.
Beluga Caviar
This exquisite caviar comes from the majestic Beluga sturgeons, which are mainly native to the clear waters of the Caspian Sea. The pearly white to dark grey eggs of the Beluga caviar are particularly large and delicate. Their incomparable taste is characterised by a creamy, delicate consistency and a slightly nutty note. Beluga caviar is a true delicacy and is the most expensive type of caviar in the world. The market price is € 2,500 - € 6,000 / kg.
Truffle
Truffles belong to the fungi and have a unique, incomparable aroma. They multiply very slowly and thrive best under trees that only grow in certain climatic regions - such as the high altitudes of Central Europe. Truffles are a natural product. Their growth depends on weather conditions and other external influences. The rare occurrence and the failure of the harvest cause the prices to fluctuate greatly. A kilo can sometimes cost up to € 15,000. The two varieties "white Alba" and "black Perigord" are particularly valuable. They come mainly from France and Italy and are in season from autumn to September.
Saffron
Worldwide, saffron is the most expensive spice, with a price per gram of € 4 to € 14. It gives dishes a bright yellow colour and a unique taste. In addition to cultivation areas such as Iran, Morocco, Greece or Afghanistan, saffron is grown in some regions of Spain (La Mancha), southern France and Italy. Even in the D-A-CH region, there are some smaller cultivation areas. Harvesting is done in laborious manual work. The yield that one person can manage is just 80 grams per day.
Kobe beef
This exceptional meat variety from Japan is characterised by its unique marbling and tenderness. It has a crumbly texture and the lowest proportion of saturated fatty acids. The breeding of Kobe cattle is very complex. On average, Kobe cattle are given three times more time than their conspecifics before they are slaughtered.
For the first 8 to 10 months, they are kept in small herds on pasture, where they get their run and eat the pasture grass. After that, the cattle are fed a mix of brewer's grain silage, maize, barley, wheat bran, soya, rice straw and spring water. No artificial growth hormones or antibiotics are used during their rearing. All this together pushes the price per kilogramme to a hefty € 400 to € 600.
Foie gras
Foie gras comes from ducks and geese that are force-fed a fatty liver. For the first 12 weeks, the animals live outdoors on a pasture, where they eat corn, grass and insects on the field. Ducks are raised there for about 12 weeks and geese for 19 weeks. After that, the ducks are force-fed twice a day for 12 days, geese three times a day for 3 weeks, to gorge on the foie gras. This increases the fat content and the size of the liver.
There are various quality seals and a charter that sets strict criteria for how the animals are kept. The aim is to ensure that all hygiene regulations are observed and that the animals are protected and healthy. The rearing process is very time-consuming. The feeding process must be done correctly. The liver is sold whole or chopped up as a pâté in different varieties.
Meanwhile, foie gras production is banned in almost all EU countries. Only in France, Spain, Hungary, Bulgaria and part of Belgium is foie gras still allowed to be produced. On average, the price per 100 g is between € 6.50 and € 12.50.
Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan from Reggio Emilia-Romagna) is an Italian hard cheese made from cow's milk using a specific production method. It is the king of Italy's cheeses. Since 1996, its designation of origin has been protected with the DOP seal. The cheese is produced in the Parma region by about 500 small cheese dairies according to a traditional recipe. A loaf has a minimum ripening period of 12 months and requires over 500 litres of milk. The average ripening period is 24 months. A kilo of Parmesan can range from € 35 to € 100, depending on the degree of maturity.
