While back in the times, all the fruits that we could have were those available in our area, today we can have almost anything from anywhere. We just pay different prices for them. Sometimes they cost a few cents, but other times their price can be as high as for a chunk of meat. That’s what happens when we wish those exotic fruits which grow on distant lands. They need to bring them to us, somehow. And to keep them fresh on the way. Let’s find out which are the Top 7 Most Expensive Fruits:
Buddha Shaped Pears
Yeah, you read that right. Buddha shaped pears. Folded arms, meditation posture and smile included. One Chinese farmer, Xianzhang Hao, came with the idea to create these pears in the shape of the Buddha Statue in his farm in the Hebei province of China. The pears are grown in molds that shape them like tiny Buddhas during the process of growing. The molds were made available by the Fruit Mould Company in China, who offer lots of other options for weird fruit shaping like heart shaped watermelons or gnome-shaped apples. The pears we’re talking about cost $9 per piece.
Square Watermelon
Would you eat something square? Something large and heavy and shaped like a cube. We bet you would. At least the square watermelon. The idea appeared again in Japan, but since 2014 you can have them in the rest of the world as well.
Besides the fact that these watermelons were grown in a box to give them the shape you see in the picture, because the taste is the same as with the normal ones, there’s nothing else special about them. Ok, maybe the price.
That’s very special since one watermelon, the whole 13 pounds of it, costs $800. So, would you like to eat a square watermelon? But you can keep it as an ornament though.
Pineapples from the Lost Gardens of Heligan
We all know that pineapples don’t grow in Europe and that England’s weather is, let’s say, not very pretty. But that’s half true. Pineapples do grow in Europe and England’s weather can be good enough for growing pineapples. With a little bit of human help that is.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall, UK, is the last place in all Europe where pineapples do grow. It’s a pineapple pit, the kind that Victorian gardeners used in the 18th century. The technique involves large quantities of fresh manure and urine-soaked hay used to heat up the pit where the pineapples are planted and a lot of hard manual labor.
Normally, these pineapples are not sold, though they’re valued at more than $1,500 each. Despite that, one was auctioned at some point and the buyer paid around $16,000 for one.
Taiyo no Tamago Mangoes
The name means “egg of the sun” and they’re another result of fruit picking perfection. Taiyo no Tamago Mangoes need to have over 350 grams each and high sugar content to be selected. Every year, after the first harvest, the fruits are sold at an auction for quite a lot of bucks per pair. The record so far was $3,000. Worth it? We heard they taste a whole lot better than the usual ones.
Ruby Roman Grapes
Japan comes again on this crazy list with the Ruby Roman Grapes. Grown in the Ishikawa Prefecture since 2008 and named through a public referendum, they’re the most expensive grapes you could ever buy.
The selection process means verifying that each grape has over 20g and 18% sugar content. If they’re over 30g and the grape cluster weighs over 700g they’re selected for the premium class.
The premium class grapes are so rare, that a cluster of 26 of them was sold in 2015 for an unbelieving $8,400.
Densuke Watermelon
With no spots nor stripes, weighing up to 11 kilograms, the black Densuke watermelon is a rarity on the fruit market. Its taste is a little bit more sweeter than that of other watermelons, and since they’re only 10,000 of them produced every year it makes them very exclusive.
Usually one costs around $250, but in 2008, the record got to $6,100 for one of these black sweet melons. Should we mention that Japan is the country where this happened? We’re sure you’ve figured it up by now. The watermelons are grown only on the Hokkaido Island in Japan, so that’s the main reason for their rarity.
Yubari King Melon
The Yubari King Melon is a hybrid of two other melons that originated on the same Hokkaido Island as above and got its name from the Yubari greenhouses on the island.
The melons have a perfect round shape with a smooth rind, with part of the stem left on top to improve their aesthetics. They’re very soft and sweet and they’re used as gifts during Chugen – the Ghost Festival, a traditional Bhuddist and Taoist festival. While now the average price is $12,000 per melon, in 2008, two of them were sold for a hefty $30,000, making them the most expensive fruits in the world.
