A specialty food is one that is considered to be a unique and more valuable food product (compared to regular food) that is made in small quantities from high-quality ingredients. As with specialty coffee, consumers are willing to pay a higher price for such food due to its unique characteristics and the sense of exclusivity that such food gives. Individual grocery stores today in various countries specialize in specialty foods and coffee.
Despite the fact that such food is widely known today even to ordinary people, there is no unambiguous definition of the term «specialty food» (apart from those given by various enthusiasts, such as we are in this article), standardized requirements for its quality and other characteristics (in addition to individual standards in the field of quality control for each specific type of product).
The list of special foods is as follows:
• Fresh anchovies that come from the Gulf of Trieste near Barcola, Italy. In this area they are known as alichis (or sardoni barcolani — sardines from Barcola). This white fleshy fish has a mild delicate taste and is found only in Sirocco in the Gulf of Trieste and therefore fetches higher prices than anchovies from other areas (12-15 euros for 1 kg).
• Artisan food, which is produced mainly not for personal consumption, piecemeal by the masters of their craft (cheeses, wine, tinctures, bread, meat snacks (from producers such as Iberico or Serrano), sauces, butter, oils, preserves, etc.). This food can also be processed by fermentation or preservation. Such food is sold mainly at local markets/shops, distributed among acquaintances of individual artisans or goes to the restaurant needs of the same business.
• Caviar. Basically, it is black from sturgeon fish and white from others (beluga, sterlet). Such white caviar can cost 35-40 times more than black caviar (up to USD 35.000 per 1 kg).
• Expensive industrially produced cheeses. Examples follow. Pule cheese, made in Serbia
from the milk of Balkan donkeys, can cost up to $600 per pound. White gold Stilton with real gold leaf can fetch up to $400 per pound. Wyke Farms cheddar from England aged over 3 years can fetch up to $200 per pound. Cachocavallo Podolico from southern Italy, made from milk from rare breeds of cows, can fetch up to $150 per pound. Rogue River blue cheese from Oregon, USA, aged in caves, costs about $75 per pound.
• Craft beer. Examples of the most expensive types of beer can be: Westvleteren XII (Belgium) for ~$50-$100 per bottle; Samuel Adams Utopias (USA), $200-$300 per bottle; BrewDog's The End of History (Scotland), $800-$1,000 per bottle; 3 Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout (USA), $200-$300 per bottle; Cantillon Blåbær Lambik (Belgium), $150-$200 per bottle.
• Specialty coffee. Some examples of the most expensive: Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha (Panama), $350-2500/lb; Finca El Injerto (Guatemala), 80-200 dollars/pound, Fazenda Santa Ines (Brazil), 50-100 dollars/pound; Los Planes (El Salvador), $50-100/lb; Blue Mountain (Jamaica), $50-80/lb.
• High-quality chocolate.
• Foie gras.
• Morels, chanterelles, shiitake, matsutake, lion's mane, white and black truffles, as well as other rare mushrooms. Also oil from these mushrooms.
• Mostarda (a sauce made from fruits marinated in mustard and syrup; an Italian dish).
• Refined food for pets (yes, yes, our smaller brothers can also eat expensive, a lot).
• Edible algae. Some of their varieties can be expensive, depending on the factors of taste, season and production, from 20 to 100 dollars. per pound (such as sea grapes, kombu, wakame, dulce, and nori).
• Stinky tofu (Chinese food), can cost 10-30 dollars for 1 serving.
• Different foods and drinks that are forbidden or considered taboo in certain cultures can be expensive and rare depending on many factors (the severity of the prohibition, the time of year, the geographical area, etc.).