The top ten ingredients with the strongest flavor: Spanish saffron, white truffle, Iberian ham, blue lobster, caviar, French foie gras, Kobe beef, Queen's morels, Peron oysters, abalone.
1. Spanish saffron
Saffron is the stamens of the crocus. It is the most expensive condiment in the world. The 225,000 stamens only weigh 500 grams after drying. Add up to 6 saffron stalks to an expensive dish to create a strong aroma. But crocus stamens, which are forged from marigold stamens, will not emit an attractive aroma even if they are placed in large quantities in dishes.
2. White truffles
White truffles are rarer and therefore more expensive than French black truffles and Périgord truffles, and only grow in northern Italy and Croatia. This white truffle is called the Grand Duke of truffles. The best white truffles can only be found in the Piedmont region of Italy, especially near the town of Alma.
3. Iberian ham
Spanish ham is generally divided into Iberian ham and Serrano ham. The former is a high-grade ham, while the latter is an ordinary grade, top-notch ham. The ham comes from a small Spanish village called Jabugo. Iberico ham is one of the nine legendary ingredients in Europe, and is more famous and expensive than Italy's Parma Ham.
4. Blue lobster
Unlike other lobsters, the age of blue lobsters has little impact on the meat quality. Regardless of size, the meat is thick, tender, rich, and sweet. You can feel the rich and rich lobster flavor as soon as you take it in, and you can also faintly taste the salty aroma of the ocean.
5. Caviar
In the world, only the eggs of three kinds of sturgeons: Beluga, Oscietra and Sevruga can be made into caviar, and these three kinds of sturgeons are classified according to their production. Egg age is divided into different grades. Beluga is the highest grade, with an annual output of less than 100 fish. The color of the roe ranges from light gray to gray black, and is known as the "Pearl of the Caspian Sea."
6. French foie gras
Foie gras is a traditional French dish. Together with truffles and caviar, it is also known as the three major French delicacies. Foie gras means "fat liver" in French, but only three types of foie gras can be sold under this name. The standard is that the raw materials are all foie gras and a small amount of seasonings, without any other ingredients. The top quality is foie gras whole liver, then foie gras, and then foie gras cubes.
7. Kobe beef
When it comes to the most famous beef in the world, Kobe beef has a place. As a specialty of Japan, Kobe beef often appears at banquets for state guests. The fragrant but not greasy, melt-in-the-mouth feeling makes people unable to stop.
8. Queen's Morel
The first of the four most famous fungi in the world, it is known as the "Queen of Edible Fungi". The appearance of dried morels is just as its name suggests, with varying shades of brown. The aroma is very unique, combining the richness of meat and the fragrance of fungi. The taste is crisp, tender and delicate, with endless aftertaste.
9. Belon oysters
Belon oysters cannot be eaten all year round. The best time is in September, October, November and December, when the meat is juicy and the taste is fresh and tender. Belon oysters are highly respected by senior oyster eaters all over the world. They are produced at the mouth of the Belon River in France where saltwater and fresh water meet. The oyster meat is plump, thick and tender, with luscious juice and crisp texture, with a special hazelnut aroma and a light sweetness that leaves an endless aftertaste.
10. Abalone
The main reason why abalone is precious is that the output is not high, the ingredients must be high-end, and the cooking process is complicated. Therefore, abalone can generally only be enjoyed by professional and experienced chefs in high-end five-star hotels, making it even more precious.