The United States has always prided itself in its ability to be self-reliant. However, there have always been certain items that we just can’t produce with the same characteristics as the products’ origins, particularly in the area of consumable items. In addition, many of these items also tend to sell for top dollar in the United States.
Here are just a few of the many food items that don’t come cheaply in the United States. These are my five favorite indulgences.
Jamón Ibérico de Bellota
Jamón ibérico de bellota is a particular deli meat that is one of the highest grades of Spanish serrano ham. It can be purchased at many European delis or gourmet food markets. Often it can be found wherever Italian prosciutto di Parma is sold.
Both Spanish serrano and Italian prosciutto sell for around $18–$24 per pound, with the former costing slightly more. These hams are dry-cured in a strictly monitored environment. Being dry-cured, they are not cooked, so they are essentially raw, but it is still safe to eat pork this way. They have to be stored at the perfect humidity and aged for a specific amount of time.
Jamón ibérico means Iberian ham or ham from the Iberian Peninsula, where Spain and Portugal are located. Bellota means acorn. What makes Jamón ibérico de bellota different from your average Spanish serrano ham is that a select breed of Spanish black-footed pig is used. They are fed a diet consisting of mostly acorns. The acorns imbue the meat with a flavor simply impossible to replicate.
Without traveling to Europe, if you want to enjoy this delectable meat in the United States, consider yourself lucky if you can find it for under $75 per pound.
Beluga Caviar
Another delicacy is caviar. Beluga caviar is considered some of the most premium and expensive, if even available, caviar in the world. It’s produced in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. Caviar is the roe (eggs) of fish.
The caviar is served raw and chilled, usually on toast points or crackers, as an hors d'oeuvre or appetizer. The eggs are harvested from the beluga sturgeon. Because the beluga is endangered, the availability of beluga caviar is extremely limited, and when available—very expensive. One ounce is about $180.
Black Truffles
These subterranean mushroom-like fungi are native mostly to France, Italy, and Spain. They have been prized for their culinary uses since as early as the 17th century. They have a sweet, slightly pungent flavor and are used sparingly on pastas, rice, egg dishes, or salads to give them a unique flavor.
Truffles are difficult to domesticate and cultivate. Because of this, widespread truffle farms are simple non-existent. To this day, truffle hunters use trained pigs or dogs to aid in locating these wild underground tubers.
The going rate for truffles fluctuates with availability and popularity. Right now one truffle will cost you about $40, and a pound of fresh truffles is around $500.
Saffron
Although saffron is technically not a food but a spice, I feel it still deserves a place among the top five most costly imports. It is sometimes referred to as “The Golden Spice,” not so much because it adds a deep golden color to the dish, but rather that saffron is the only spice worth its weight in gold.
Saffron is native to Southwest Asia. Today, the principal areas that grow saffron are Iran, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Greece, Azerbaijan, and Kashmir.
Saffron is expensive because of the way it is harvested. The spice is derived from the stigma of the saffron crocus plant, which is hand-harvested. It takes from 50,000 to 75,000 flowers to yield one pound of the spice, which in the United States retails between $500 and $1,100 a pound.
Kobe Beef
Finally, there’s Kobe. First of all, there’s Kobe Beef, and then there’s kobe beef. True Kobe beef comes from Wagyu cattle that are raised only in the Kobe region of Japan. The cows are fed a specific diet. They’re also given sake (Japanese rice wine) bath massages daily. And, they are slaughtered according to strict guidelines. The result is perfectly marbled, incredibly tender meat, said to be some of the best tasting beef in the world.
True Japanese Kobe beef is not legally available outside of Japan except for Hong Kong and Macau. Although many restaurants have items labeled “Kobe beef” this or “Kobe beef” that, what they are actually selling you is American Kobe from a Wagyu cow or a Wagyu/Angus hybrid raised under USDA guidelines.
This meat may be above average in terms of typical American standards (and price), but it’s not true Kobe. With ground beef being the cheapest cut, a pound of ground American Kobe can go for about $12, and a six-ounce filet around $60.
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