Millionaire’s menu

Ever wondered what it would be like if you were a millionaire? Here is a look at the type of menu you could afford.

Edible gold leaves: A small shaker of this glitzy ingredient will set you back R290 and a pack of 25 small sheets of gold leaves will cost R727. (Think I’ll stick to lettuce.)

White truffles (Alba truffles): These aphrodisiacs cannot be grown just anywhere and you need trained boars and dogs to find them. For 450g of Alba truffles fanatics will fork out anything from R58 200 to R97 000. (Holy shroom!)

Beluga sturgeon caviar: If you want to lead the ultimate hedonistic lifestyle, then caviar is the way to go. Taken from Beluga sturgeon that lives in the Caspian Sea, these tiny eggs cost R38 800 for 450g.

Spice: Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice. This delicious spice, taken from the saffron crocus flower, has to be handpicked. Only the stamens (three per flower), are used. Half a kilogram of saffron requires 50 000 to 75 000 flowers (one football field), and costs R14 550.

Kobe beef: The Waygu cattle from Japan are fed only the best grains, drink beer (which fattens them up) and are hand massaged with sake (rice wine). This preparation improves the flavour and texture of the meat and gives it that perfect marbled look. This succulent, juicy beef costs about R1 500 for 450g. (You won’t find this at your nearest Spur.)

Civet coffee: Taken from the droppings of civet cats. The civets eat coffee cherries and once the beans have passed through their digestive system are collected and ground into coffee. Apparently the civets’ digestive enzymes make the coffee less acidic. This exotic coffee costs just under a R1000 for medium bag. (Even so, I don’t think I want pooped beans to be my morning wake up call.)

Vanilla beans: This everyday ingredient is actually the second most expensive spice in the world at about R500 for 450g. This is because the flowers are hand pollinated, picked, dried and cured resulting in that rich fragrant flavour.

Golden Tigerfish: According to Reuters this rare Golden Tigerfish was sold for R6 925 per 450g to a restaurant in China. It was believed that fish was an omen of good luck. (Not for the unlucky one who had to pay for it.)

Macadamia nuts: You wouldn’t think it but macadamia nuts are the most expensive nut in the world. It takes the tree seven to ten years to start popping them out. One kilogram costs about R290.

Potato: The world’s most expensive potato is the French la bonnotte. Taken from the Noirmoutier Island, only 100 tons are produced per year. These spectacular spuds, fertilised with seaweed, cost R6 624 per kilogram.

Pizza Royale: A chef in Scotland says he’s created what he believes is the world’s most expensive pizza pie, and he plans to sell it on eBay for around R40 000. Domenico Crolla’s “Pizza Royale 007” features champagne-soaked caviar and lobster marinated in high-end cognac, and is topped with 24-carat gold shavings.

Chocolate: The Chocopologie truffles made by Knipschildt; contains one black truffle and is made of 70% Valrhona cacao, which is blended into a creamy ganache with truffle oil. One truffle will only set you back about R2 500. (That’s one seriously expensive sweet tooth fix.)

What is the most expensive ingredient or product you’ve ever bought?

Sources: www.cnn.com, www.reuters.com, www.howstuffworks.com, www.wackyarchives.com, www.creditcardpundit.com