The World's Most Expensive Caviar Can Cost Over $10,000

Caviar is a food that has accumulated a unique mythology around it. From its unusual origins as peasant food in the 12th century to the strange reason why caviar is not considered vegetarian, caviar is truly one of the most interesting foods in the world. It is also notoriously expensive.

Generally speaking, caviar is already well-known as a luxury item in the culinary world. Some types of caviar are costlier than others, with the world's most expensive caviar coming with a price tag of over $20,000 per kilogram. The variety that can boast this distinction is Beluga caviar, sometimes known as "white gold caviar."

While any container of this coveted sturgeon roe will cost you a pretty penny, the price of Beluga caviar can vary. Certain types of Beluga caviar, like the Iranian Beluga caviar, are sold for a higher price and are renowned for their rich taste. Generally speaking, Beluga caviar is known for tasting buttery and creamy, making it loved by connoisseurs around the world.

The general reason why caviar is so expensive is due to how long it takes for sturgeon fish to mature. In order to produce eggs, sturgeons must reach full maturity. Time, in combination with issues such as overfishing and the loss of the animals' habitat, make caviar rare, so it is priced accordingly. This is why it's one of the foods you might want to think twice about ordering at a fancy restaurant.

These issues apply to all types of caviar, but Beluga caviar specifically ends up being the most expensive for several reasons. First and foremost, the Beluga sturgeon is critically endangered. It's also one of the largest types of sturgeon and can take up to 25 years to fully mature. When female sturgeons reach maturity, they do not always reproduce every year, making their eggs increasingly more difficult to find.

This combination of conditions is what makes Beluga caviar so prized. Although it is almost always sold with a price tag of at least $5,000 per kilogram, it can go for much more than that. The most expensive caviar ever sold was known as Almas, which is a type of albino Iranian Beluga sturgeon, and had a price tag of $34,500.