Click here to read the Spanish version.
A few days ago we told you what the most expensive ice cream in the world has to cost more than 6,000 euros. This tasty story has aroused your curiosity (ours too), and so we have gone in search of the most valuable Guinness World Record foods and drinks on the planet: a champagne and gold sandwich, an omelette with caviar and lobster, a 5,000 euro hamburger, a ham worth more than 11,000 euros… and even a wine worth almost half a million euros. These are some of the most amazing gastronomic Guinness World Records we have found:
A 24-carat pizza
Would you pay 2,500 euros for a pizza? That’s just what the most expensive one in the world costs – it has held the Guinness World Record since April 2017 – and they prepare it at the New York restaurant Industry Kitchen with very exclusive ingredients. Its dough is made with squid ink and is made with English Stilton cheese, foie and French truffles, Osetra caviar from the Caspian Sea, Almas caviar and 24-karat gold leaf. Some people can’t resist the curiosity and take a portion… for 200 dollars.
Two historic burgers
As the burger lovers that we are (here we tell you which are the gourmet burgers in Madrid that you can’t miss) we have searched for the most expensive in the world, and we have found two! The one prepared by Juicys Foods and Ovations Foodservices for Juicys Outlaw Grill in Corvallis (Oregon) is gigantic and must be ordered two days in advance: according to Guinness World Records it weighs 352.44 kilos and sells for 5,000 dollars (4,678 euros).
If we are talking about individual burgers, the most expensive burger on the planet was sold for 5,000 euros on June 28, 2021 at The Daltons (Voorthuizen, Netherlands). Its creator, Jan de Veen, christened it The Golden Boy, and donated the €5,000 from his first order to a local food bank.
De Veen was motivated to make it by Juicys Outlaw Grill’s superburger: he was looking to achieve the same record, but in a single serving. “For me, it was very important that the taste of the burger was also impressive. I wanted to see how far we could go and make sure that the five flavors – sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami – were in perfect harmony,” he says.
To achieve this, he ingeniously mixed some of the world’s most coveted ingredients. The lightly toasted and very fluffy bun is made with Dom Pérignon champagne and gold leaf (that’s why when you pick up the burger, your fingers turn golden brown); and inside is juicy wagyu beef, panko and champagne battered onion rings, Wyke Farms cheddar, Alaskan king crab, caviar, white truffle slices, Spanish Iberico ham, tomato pickled in Japanese matcha tea and a special Macallan Rare Cask whisky and coffee sauce. In this video you can see how it is prepared:
Gourmet French fries
French fries also arouse passions, especially if they are prepared as they are at the iconic New York restaurant Serendipity3. Their french fries, created by Joe Calderone and Fredrick Schoen-Kiewertson “to offer customers a unique and delicious french fry experience,” are the most expensive in the world. A plate costs nearly 200 euros, and includes ingredients such as Upstate Chipperbeck potatoes, Dom Pérignon champagne, Tuscan Pecorino cheese, Italian black summer truffles, organic cream, truffled Swiss Gruyere raclette aged for three months or 23-karat edible gold dust.
The golden sandwich
At Serendipity3 they also prepare the most expensive sandwich on the planet: the Quintessential Grilled Cheese, which sells for 200 dollars and is made with two slices of champagne bread -Dom Pérignon- and gold flakes, white truffle butter and the very rare Caciocavallo Podolico cheese. It is also served alongside a South African lobster sauce, Italian tomatoes, crème fraîche and truffle oil in a Baccarat cocktail glass.
Luxury milkshake
Experts in the curious art of achieving Guinness World Records, Serendipity3 invented the LUXE Milkshake in collaboration with Swarovski and Crystal Ninja five years ago. The world’s most expensive milkshake sells for 85.60 euros and features Jersey cream, Tahitian vanilla ice cream, Devonshire cream, Luxardo cherries, a unique caramel sauce and edible 23-karat gold, among other delicious ingredients.
High-flying omelet
Yes, we have also found a record-breaking omelet: the Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata, which costs 935 euros and was first served in 2004 at the exclusive Norma’s restaurant in the Le Parker Meridien hotel (New York). It has 280 grams of caviar, almost half a kilo of lobster, six fresh eggs, cream, chives and lobster sauce, and is served on a bed of Yukon Gold potatoes.
This sumptuous omelet had a cameo in an episode of Secret Lives of the Super Rich in 2016, and has since doubled in price. Although it does have a more ‘affordable’ €200 version with just a pinch of caviar.
Soup with star
It’s called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and it’s poetically expensive: London’s Michelin-starred Kai Mayfair restaurant served this 180-euro soup in June 2005, and no other has managed to snatch the title in 18 years. Its exotic mix of ingredients – shark fin, sea cucumber, dried scallops, pork, Japanese mushrooms or chicken – requires a five-day preparation and a palate that appreciates its savory delicacy.
An exceptional ham
There is no doubt that Spanish Iberian ham is the best in the world, and that comes at a price. Although we would never have guessed the figure: 11,881 euros is what the buyer of the world’s most expensive ham paid to the Japanese distribution company Taishi Co., Ltd. in February 2020. The object of desire in question is a 100% Iberian Bellota ham from Sierra Mayor Jabugo, located in the Natural Park of Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche (Huelva). On their website you can find hams very similar to the Guinness World Record winner for 500 euros.
Cabrales, the most valuable cheese
Spain is a country of extraordinary cheeses, and one of the most famous outside and inside our borders is Cabrales. In August 2019, it became the most expensive cheese sold at auction, beating its own 2018 record: 20,500 euros is what the Llagar de Colloto restaurant in Oviedo paid for this unique cheese in the world, made by artisan farmers in Asturias.
A legendary wine
There are wines that are real treasures for collectors. Like the most expensive item on this list: a 1945 bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti – from Robert Drouhin’s personal collection – sold for €481,976 at a Sotheby’s (New York) auction in October 2018. It is a mythical vintage of one of Burgundy’s most legendary wines, and fetched 17 times the iconic auction house’s initial estimate.
The most desired ice cream
White truffle from Alba (Italy), Parmigiano Reggiano and sake lees are the main ingredients of the world’s most expensive ice cream, which costs 6,211 euros. Byakuya – or ‘White Knight’ – is the fascinating creation of the Japanese ice cream brand Cellato, who set out to conquer the Guinness World Records title by making a unique dessert with unusual ingredients that fused the best of Europe and Japan. Those who have tried it say it is a glorious gastronomic experience.
A very unique cocktail
On February 7, 2013, the world’s most expensive cocktail was served: the Winston, named after its creator, Joel Heffernan – bartender at Club 23 in Melbourne (Australia) – in honor of Winston Churchill. It costs 12,000 euros and requires sixteen hours of preparation.
Much of its value comes from one of its ingredients, the 1858 Croizet Cuvée Léonie cognac, which is also the most expensive cognac in the world according to Guinness World Records ($150,000 a bottle). It also contains Grand Marnier Quintessence, Chartreuse VEP (Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolonge), a dash of Angostura Bitters and chocolate powder with nutmeg.
If you are curious about other Guinness World Records, here are the 13 most spectacular ones.
