Whenever we speak of fruits, we all go back in nostalgia to those days where we used to pluck fruits from our neighbour’s garden and savour each and every bite of those delicious berries. But as things have evolved, we all have gotten to witness some basic fruits turn into the most expensive fruits in the world.
Gone are those good old days in the garden and all that you see now is splurging the cash to make those nutritious ingredients an essential part of your diet. While some of them are still easy to obtain, there are a few which require you to go all guns blazing with your budget just to eat a slice of it.
So, here’s presenting to you the list of the 10 most expensive fruits in the world which will make your jaw drop in awe! (It’s highly advised to check your wallet before scrolling down!)
Top 10 Most Expensive Fruits in the World
10. Buddha Shaped Pears- $9
The very moment when I mention Buddha-shaped pears, chances are that you would laugh at me for even thinking about it. However, a Chinese farmer named Xianzhang Hao made this possible by growing it on his farm and the pears look like a perfect replica of Lord Buddha himself!
The fruit looks like a meditating Buddha and is artificially modified into this shape using special moulds. The fruit is believed to be of historic significance and legend says that after eating it, one achieves victory over death and customers throng the markets to get their hands on it. You may have just found your recipe for immortality through this $9 fruit!
9. Sekai Ichi Apples- $21 per piece
Featuring at number nine on this list of the most expensive fruits in the world are these apples brought to you from the Land of the Rising Sun. Cultivated for 46 years now, the Sekai Ichi apples are the best and the largest apples in the world with them melting in your mouths on your first bite.
Another specialty of these apples is that each of them are hand-pollinated, cleansed in honey, and their crates are hand-made by the farmers who produce them. With the farmers taking so much care of their produce, there’s no doubt in the fact as to why they are the best apples on the planet!
8. Sembikiya Queen Strawberries- $85 per pack
Considered to be the queen of all strawberries, these berries are grown under the finest guidance by the farmers of Sembikiya and they take about 45 days on average to grow. They look like glistening red diamonds and their sugary taste makes them irresistible for any strawberry lover out there.
The Japanese are in absolute awe of this fruit and even give them as gifts to people at various functions and festivals. But here’s the catch! While the demand for this exquisite fruit is extremely high, only 500 of these are produced every year, thereby inflating their rates massively. That’s such a shame for this absolute jewel!
7. Square Watermelon- $800
Occupying the seventh spot in our collection of the most expensive fruits in the world is a rather oddly-shaped watermelon. A square-shaped watermelon would be an absolute rarity in any other part of the world, but in Japan, it’s as common as finding apples and bananas.
These watermelons are designed into squares with the help of artificial moulding and taste just like any other watermelon. Generally, they aren’t eaten and considered as edible storage boxes to be offered as a present to esteemed guests. They are so perfect that they can seamlessly fit into any corner of the refrigerator. But $800 for an edible box? Think about it again!
6. Pineapples from the Lost Gardens of Heligan- $1,500
This isn’t the regular pineapples that you find in your grocery stores. Grown only in the Lost Gardens of Heligan under temperature-controlled conditions, these six-inch pineapples take almost two years to grow and weigh about 13 kg.
The farmers apply their special Victorian-cultured farming which provides a unique taste to this fruit. As a matter of fact, Prince Charles gifted this exotic fruit to Queen Elizabeth II on her 50th marriage anniversary. Thank your stars and your bank balance if you manage to get a bite of it!
5. Taiyo no Tomago Mangoes- $3,000
Translating to ‘Egg of the Sun’, here are another one of these well-crafted Japanese fruits making it the most expensive fruits in the world. Grown in Miyazaki, Japan, these mangoes are extremely difficult to cultivate and are enclosed in special net bags to ensure they get maximum sunlight during their growth stages.
Furthermore, they are never plucked and fall on their own after ripening which makes it fit for collection. They barely weigh anything and are extremely sweet when indulged in. These fruits are only sold at auctions and the current record stands at $3,000. Let’s see if you could be the next one to break the bank for the Egg of the Sun!
4. Northern Territory Mangoes- $4,118
If I ask you to pay $4,000 for a mango, you will have to plan your budget a gazillion times before doing so. But the people of Australia don’t fear it doing so, not even once! These mangoes are gigantic in size and are grown in the hot and humid region of the Northern Territory in Australia.
They exist in multiple varieties such as Calypsos and Honey Golds and about 13 million of them are produced each year. These summer fruits are exported to multiple countries but continue to remain the specialty of Australia.
3. Densuke Watermelon- $6,100
Getting a bronze medal in this list on the most expensive fruits in the world is this world-famous Japanese watermelon. In case if you haven’t heard of it, these watermelons are found in the region of Hokkaido with each watermelon weighing 11 kg and possessing a sweet yet unique taste.
Although they are available in the Sembikiya flagship store in Tokyo, you will have to fight off competition from thousands of customers. This is because only 100 of them are available and they are sold only at the annual auctions. Probably, it’s just wise to use the $6,100 somewhere else!
2. Ruby Roman Grapes- $8,400
The name and the price tag itself say a lot about the quality of these delicious grapes. Grown in Ishikawa, these grapes are cultivated under specific conditions and need to contain 18% sugar and weigh exactly 20 g to get a selling certificate.
While they may resemble ping-pong balls, these juicy grapes are extremely rare to find and are sold at auctions. Their farmers have never compromised on the taste of these grapes and there have been years where zero exports have been recorded. Probably, you need to sink your teeth in it to figure out what makes these grapes so special!
1. Yubari King Melon- $45,600
Finally, here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! The numero uno spot for the most expensive fruits in the world goes to- The Yubari King Melon of Japan! These melons are grown in specially-designed greenhouses in Hokkaido and are classified under the hybrid melon category.
They contain a smooth skin on the outside and have a sweet taste which can barely be matched by any other fruit. Like other fruits on this list, even they are sold at auctions and are generally given as gifts on occasions courtesy the generous nature of the Japanese. You can only imagine how would it feel to be the owner of the world’s most expensive fruit!