The 12 Rarest Foods You Need To Try At Least Once

Every foodie has a bucket list of special dishes they intend on trying at least once in their lifetime to gain those ultimate bragging rights. Sometimes those dishes are simple and don't require much effort to obtain, but other times, in order to sample them they require extensive travel and a whole lotta moolah. These are the rare diamond-in-the-rough items that frolic through the heads of the food-obsessed every night while they dream. They're the sacred white buffaloes of the food world that seem unattainable. These are the bucket-list items that hold a special asterisk next to their names based on prestige.

To the average person, it might seem insane to put so much effort into obtaining a taste of the rarest foods on the planet. However, any food-driven personality laughs at that sentiment, knowing full-well the culinary prize waiting for them at the end of the journey is something few might understand. Just like with someone obsessed with finding rare coins or ancient artifacts, the foodie world is enamored with collecting new flavors. And while flavors may only last a fraction of the time a physical artifact does, the memory of a taste lingers for years to come. That's what makes everything worth the effort (and money).

If you're someone who loves all things food (of course you are), then don't let these rare food items slip through your fingers before it's too late. Food regret, as you know, is the worst kind of regret.

Ah, caviar. Just the name alone conjures up images of overly fancy parties and expensive restaurants. Sushi fanatics have likely eaten caviar in the form of tobiko (flying fish roe) or ikura (salmon roe). These types of caviar are usually found in Japanese restaurants, as they aren't difficult to obtain. In fact, most Asian grocers will have at least a small selection of affordable caviar for purchase. However, this doesn't mean caviar can't reach insanely high prices. In fact, one of the rarest types is called Almas caviar, and if you're a foodie who loves those tiny poppable eggs, this stuff will catch your attention.

The word "Almas" means "diamond” in Russian, so right off the bat you know you're dealing with something highly prized and very rare. The animal responsible for this prized pearly white caviar is the albino beluga sturgeon that lives in the Caspian Sea near Iran. Their lack of melanin makes them albino, and because it's such a rare genetic mutation, there aren't many left in existence (also a very good reason not to eat it). In fact, the only place you can even find Almas caviar is at one of the few Caviar House & Prunier stores around the world. For those who do shell out the cost of eating it, the caviar is delivered in a 24-karat gold-coated container.

For many people, cheese is one of the main food groups. C'mon now, how could it not be? There are so many different varieties for people craving all sorts of flavor profiles. Looking for a smooth and gentle flavor? Try a mild cheddar. Seeking out something robust that lets you know it's arrived once it hits your tongue? You're gonna wanna rock'n'roll with Roquefort. There are plenty of queso enthusiasts out there who claim they've tried every variety the world has to offer, but it's more than likely one has evaded them: pule donkey cheese.

At $600 a pound (yes, you read that correctly), this cheese isn't geared toward your average consumer. Why the exorbitant price tag? Well, not only does it take months to make, but there's literally only one farm in the world that produces it using Balkan donkeys, and it's located inside Serbia's Zasavica Special Nature Reserve. The farm was founded 24 years ago by a man named Slobodan Simić, and it's just one of three sanctuaries that protects the endangered donkeys. Simić said of the unique cheese-making process, "No one can make it. Not just at home, but well-known milk experts from many countries have tried to make it, and they have failed. That's because of the additional bacteria and substances invented by our expert that succeeded in coagulating the milk, which is known to have little casein for coagulation. Many have tried, but no one managed to make it."

You can't mention truffles in a sentence without someone speaking up and saying "Oh my god, I just love truffles!" Truffles are incredible. They add a pungent but earthy layer to a dish's overall flavor that really makes you feel like you're eating something elegant. The most common type of truffle you find at a restaurant is black truffles. Even though they come with a price tag worthy of an eyebrow raise, having a couple grams shaved onto a sizzling steak is more than worth it. Fewer restaurants carry the brethren of black truffles: white truffles. These are the head honchos that really launch flavors into outer space, and with a characteristic like that, no wonder they're rare.

The 18th-century epicurean Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin referred to truffles as the "diamonds of the kitchen." But, why exactly do truffles — especially white — come at an enormous cost? It all has to do with the legwork put into retrieving them during harvest season. From the short timespan of October to December every year, white truffles grow in abundance throughout Italy's Piedmont region. In order to find them, truffle gatherers use specially trained dogs to sniff them out from underneath the soil. Yea, it's a whole lotta effort, and that means a high price. Of course, you can buy white truffle oil or certain foods infused with a white truffle aroma, but they're no substitute for the rare occasion where you can get fresh white truffles shaved over a meal.

There are a handful of staple items you expect to see on a menu when you dine at a seafood joint. You'll see lobster. You'll see crab. You'll see shrimp. There's bound to be quite a variety of fish, as well. However, one item you likely won't see is abalone. Maybe you never even saw that word until right now. Few restaurants serve it, which makes it all the more exciting to foodies when they see it grace the page of a menu. Nicknamed the "ear-shell" based on its resemblance to human ears, this is one of the rarest and most expensive shellfish in the world, and there's a good reason why.

Abalone is gathered from several regions around the world, including Oceania, the United States, and Mexico. The meat inside the polished iridescent carapace is like "eating two of the highest quality oysters at the same time," one person said of their experience. However, in order to enjoy a bite of the rich buttery crustacean, a ton of work goes into harvesting them. The abalone shells have a vice-like grip on the rocks they live on, making them a huge chore to remove. Also, due to the potential extinction of the species, many countries only allow fishermen to return with a maximum of 20 per day. Again, if you want to try this crustacean, do your research to ensure you're enjoying it from a fishery that practices sustainability. 

When we think of kings, sometimes we envision servants draping bushels of plump grapes over the throned leaders' faces and allowing them to chomp away on those purple morsels bursting with sweet flavor. In fact, ancient paintings of Roman emperors often portray them at large gatherings holding cups filled to the brim with grape wine. But, if you're really looking to feel like royalty while you toss grapes into your mouth like popcorn, there are no substitutes for the super rare Ruby Roman grapes.

The first thing you notice about Ruby Roman grapes is the size. These things are like purple ping pong balls! The mass alone tells you they're already going to hold more flavor than your regular supermarket variety. According to a report by Insider, the grapes hit the Japanese market in 2008, and they're famed for their sweetness and low acidity. To keep exclusivity high, only a small number are sold, which means the lucky people who go home with them shell out some serious dough. In 2019, a hotel chain manager named Takashi Hosokawa paid $11,000 for just 24 of the grapes! Yea, do the math. That number boils down to roughly $458 per grape. Now, that's one heck of an expensive mouthful of sweet flavor.

It's everyone's favorite expression to describe the way some new meat tastes: "like chicken." It seems like every animal on the planet tastes like chicken to someone. But, what about a completely black chicken? Would that still taste like a regular run-of-the-mill clucker? Do black chickens even exist? Yes, they absolutely do. They're called Ayam cemani chickens, they're indigenous to Indonesia, and they look like someone dunked them in a vat of jet black paint before letting them run amok.

The black pigmentation in their skin, obviously, isn't due to anyone forcing a tar bath on them. The coloring is caused by what scientists refer to as dermal hyperpigmentation. Breeders love this rare trait because it gives the chickens such a unique look, and they also claim the black pigmentation causes the meat to taste far superior in richness. Because they aren't known as the best egg-laying chickens, they aren't a common breed to raise, and that makes them all the rare and, therefore, expensive. If you are curious about them, you can get in touch with the Ayam Cemani Breeders Association for more information. Pretty soon you can wow your friends with your experience of eating "black" chicken.