Colatura di alici, which is Italian for "anchovy drippings," is a traditional sauce produced by fermenting salted anchovies inside small chestnut barrels. It's prized for its umami flavor and very expensive, selling for $160 a liter.
Grown exclusively in the Mie Prefecture in Japan, Matsusaka cattle are raised so their fat achieves the lowest melting point possible. The finest cuts of Matsusaka wagyu have a melting point of 12 degrees Celsius, 8 degrees lower than Kobe.
From the purest form of maple syrup, extracted drop by drop from trees in New York, to the finest polished-rice sake, crafted by Japan's youngest female sake brewmaster, we uncovered the stories behind some of the world's most expensive foods.
Founded in 1643 in France, Trudon is one of the oldest candle manufacturers in the world. Its candles lined Marie Antoinette's bedroom and the churches of Paris. Today, prices range from $48 for one taper candle to $660 for a "great"-sized jarred candle. Its legacy isn't the only thing behind that hefty price tag.
Nutmeg and mace are two separate spices found in the same fruit. Both have long been valued for their fragrance, flavor, and medicinal properties. India is the lead consumer of nutmeg as well as one of the top global suppliers.
Amethyst is one of the most abundant crystals in the world, but the most prized pieces can cost almost a million dollars. Some of the world's largest amethyst geodes come out of Artigas, Uruguay. The earth beneath this region is uniquely suited to producing amethyst.
Huitlacoche, also known as the "Mexican truffle," is an edible fungus that forms on undeveloped corn ears and sells for as much as $40 a pound.
From Assamese muga silk to jasmine oil used in luxury perfumes and from aromatic sandalwood to real saffron that costs over $10,000 per kilogram, we traveled the length of the subcontinent to uncover the stories behind some of the most expensive products made in India.
Editor's Note: In the video we say spruce is used for the bottom of the guitar, but Martin Guitars typically uses rosewood for bottoms.
Martin acoustic guitars are some of the most popular and well-known high-end acoustic guitars in the world.
Bulgarian rose oil is the most valuable rose oil on the market. Buyers are willing to pay $15,000 for a single kilogram. But to make the highest-quality Bulgarian rose oil, producers must spend the year cultivating fields that will bloom for only a few weeks.