You’ve probably heard of some of these ingredients, but did you know how ridiculously expensive they are? There are some “valid” reasons as to why but we’ll explain more as we go through the list.

Saffron – value ranges between R13, 000 to 130, 000 per kilo

Saffron is known as the most expensive spice in the world and is also sometimes called the “King of Spices” so, it comes as no surprise that getting your hands on the crimson coloured spice will cost you a pretty buck.

Its extravagance is owed to the delicate nature of acquirement, which involves the crocus flower. One flower produces only three pistils and it takes over 70, 000 crocus flowers to yield just one pound of saffron. The price of saffron varies according to its graded colour power.

The cost of one pound of saffron ranges between R13, 000 to 130, 000 per kilo.

Get one ounce of Saffron on PriceCheck for R1715

Caviar – Valued at R200, 000 per kg

You probably wouldn’t have thought that fish roe would cost you an arm and a leg. But yes, it will. The catch (no pun intended) with caviar, is that it’s not considered caviar unless it comes from the Acipenseriformes species.

Caviar has always been associated with royalty, especially Beluga caviar which comes from the Beluga Sturgeon fish found in the Caspian and the Black Sea. The fish takes up to 20 years to grow in full size and weighs two tons.

The rarest Beluga caviar which is also the most expensive is Almas Caviar is valued at R200, 000 per kg.

Get one ounce of Caviar for R2580.00 on PriceCheck.

Fungi or Truffles

Truffles are underground fungi usually found around or in the roots of trees such as beech, poplar and oak. The trees provide the fungus with sugar and humans find them absolutely delicious.

Because truffles are neither easy to find or farm, truffle dogs and other animals are trained to find them. The fungi come in various types including Winter White Truffle, Winter Black Truffle and even a Summer Black truffle.

Truffles sell for up to R60,000 a kilo.

Try out the Alma Gourmet Fresh Italian Winter Black Truffles 1 Oz for R2605.00

Kopi Luwak Coffee – valued at R10, 000 per Kilogram

Cut the crap – Kopi Luwak, the most expensive coffee in the world is found in the faeces of civets. Yes, that’s right, the Indonesian cat digests the coffee beans and it undergoes a finishing process providing humans with an opulent taste of coffee poop.

Apart from the unique process of Kopi Luwak, the reason for the coffee being so expensive is because of the high demand and short supply.

A cup of Kopi Luwak costs you R80 and a kilo of the cat poop coffee can cost you up to R10,000.

The Most Ridiculously Expensive Cooking Ingredients You Probably Can’t Afford