They often say that fine dining is all about the ambiance and experience. However, beyond all that, the reason for the hefty price tag usually comes from the food items and ingredients used for a specific dish. Here are some truths that you need to know about luxury food.
Caviar
One of the most luxurious delicacies in the world is caviar. Consumed as a garnish or a spread, these tiny eggs are often coveted as a status symbol. However, this begs the question as to why are these humble clusters of fish eggs so expensive?
According to Business Insider, the reason for its high price is because of how it is acquired and its source. The world's best quality caviar comes from the endangered species of beluga sturgeon, one of the oldest creatures to be found in the Caspian Sea's cold clear waters.
It will take eight to 20 years for a female sturgeon to sexually mature and produce eggs. However, the probability of at least one surviving until adulthood is low. Farmers who are committed to sourcing these eggs are locked into a waiting game.
In addition, they have to kill the fish to obtain these eggs resulting in waiting another decade or so for the next batch of sturgeon to mature and produce eggs.
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Truffles
Another excessively expensive food item is truffles. These are edible subterranean fungi or tubers which are rare and hard to come by. Truffles are underground mushrooms as they prefer growing in the dark and are known to have a variety of species.
As per Reader's Digest, truffles are expensive because they are not easily planted, farmed, or harvested. Contrary to what many may assume, truffles don't just grow in any moist place. They only flourish in areas where there's moisture on warm days and cool nights.
In addition, they grow slowly, have short seasons, and don't last long once out of the ground. Some species would take four to six years to grow. Furthermore, finding them is also a challenging feat. Truffle farmers rely on animals with great senses of smell to help find truffles.
Foie Gras
In many cases, the liver is not usually seen in a fine dining restaurant unless it is Foie Gras. This luxurious delicacy is the fatty liver of a goose. Foie Gras can be traced back to France, where it was first popularized.
Eventually, because of its taste and rarity, it became a sought-after delicacy with a hefty price tag. According to Taste Cooking, the geese where the fatty liver is obtained undergo a process called gavage.
Geese are forced-fed to achieve a fatty liver that is known as Foie Gras. This is fatty, rich, meaty, with a velvety texture and buttery flavor. Although many are raising concerns over the process to which these geese had to go through, it is an expensive process for livestock owners.
It is mainly that operational and labor cost that makes Foie Gras expensive. Not to mention, it also has a limited supply in the market.
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