Sunday, April 5, 2009

World’s Most Expensive Foods

The world of the rich and famous is fascinating for many of us. They lead the life many of us want and they do what we only dream of us. Being a food fanatic, this time we’ll have a look at the most expensive foods in the world, most expensive drinks, deserts or spices.



1. Saffron, a spice grown worldwide, is derived from the saffron crocus flower. A pound of dry saffron (0.45 kg) requires 50,000–75,000 flowers to make, meaning an entire football field of these flowers. Requiring so much resources and labor, prices for the spice go around US$500/pound to US$5,000/pound (US$1100–US$11,000 per kilogram).


2. The most expensive nut in the world is the Macadamia nut. The macadamia tree produces nuts only after it’s 7-10 years old, requiring fertile soil and heavy rainfall. These nuts have a very hard seed, but once it’s open it reveals a creamy white kernel containing up to 80% oil and 4% sugar. The cost of a kilogram of these nuts exceeds 30$.


3. The most expensive caviar in the world is not the black one, but the almas caviar! The word ‘almas’ is Iranian for diamond. Beluga caviar comes from a fish over 100 years old, that is virtually unchanged for 120 million years. The luxurious caviar comes from the oldest survivor of the Dinosaur era. Beluga caviar ranges in price from more than $5,000 per kilogram in the United States.


4. The most expensive mushroom in the world is the white truffle. The mushroom has its origins in the Langhe area of the Piedmont region in northern Italy, it can reach 12 cm diameter and 500g. These truffles are sold at a amazing price of €2,000 and €4,000 per kilogram ($1350 - $2700 per pound). The record price for this truffle was paid last year, in December, when Stanley Ho, the owner of the Macau casino paid $330,000 for 1.5kg of truffles.



5. The most expensive potato in the world is a French one, “La Bonnotte”. Annually, only 100 tons of this top quality potato are cultivated and collected only on the island Noirmoutier. The potato fields require to be fertilized only with seaweed in a climate shaped by the nearby sea. The cost of one single kilogram can reach €500 since this type of potato is almost extinct.



6. The most expensive beef in the world is the type of beef coming from the Wagyu cows. These Japanese cows are fed the best grass and provided the best treatment. That is why the meat is especially tender and particularly expensive. 200 grams of a fillet cost in Europe more than 100 dollars.



7. The most expensive sandwich in the world is the club sandwich from Essen aka von Essen Platinum Club Sandwich. This triple-decker delicacy contains the finest chicken, ham, hard-boiled quails’ eggs and white truffles and it’s currently sold at Cliveden, Berkshire. The chicken (poulet de Bresse) is referred to as the ‘fourth gastronomic wonder of the world served with a topping of white truffles, sold at over a thousands ponds a month. At 1,182 calories, with 1.8oz of fat, it’s not the healthiest dish but certainly one of the most expensive. Costing 100 pounds (almost 200 dollars), this is a must-try for the food fanatics.



8.The most expensive pizza in the world, valued at 8300 Eur can be tasted in Italy. With generous toppings of caviar and lobster, the pizza has a diameter of 20cm and Louis XIII Remy Martin cognac poured all over it.



9. The most expensive omelet in the world can be tasted at the Le Parker Meridien restaurant in New York. The $1,000 omelet consists of 10 ounces of sevruga caviar, a whole lobster, and six eggs. To make it in the privacy of your own home, the cost will be only $700.



10. Off to something sweet now with one of the most expensive deserts in the world, served at Serendipity 3, a popular restaurant in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The $1000 sundae was introduced in 2004 and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive dessert. It’s made up of 5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, Madagascar vanilla, 23K edible gold leaf and one of the most expensive chocolates in the world, Amedei Porceleana.



11. The tastiest and most expensive chocolate in the world is Chocopologie by Knipschildt. At $2,600 per pound, this handmade chocolate truffle is available only if ordered. t contains a black truffle and 70% Valrhona cacao.



12. The world’s finest and most expensive coffee is Kopi Luwak. The coffee comes from the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the total annual production is only around 500 pounds of beans. That is why the price of a pound is outrages - $300 or more.



13. The current record for the most expensive tea is held by a rare Chinese green tea called Tieguanyin, which costs 1,700 Yuan ($3,000) per kilo (per 2 lb 3 oz) approximately 8.50 Yuan ($15) for a single cup.



14. The world’s most expensive tea bag for the PG company, to celebrate their 75th anniversary. Manually decorated with 280 diamonds, the bag made to remind people just how much they love the great British cup of tea is worth £7,500.



15. The most expensive champagne in the world is Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque Blanc de Blanc, made of specially selected grapes, sold in manually painted bottles and with a price tag of around $1,500.



16. The most expensive whisky in the world is considered to be the Macallan Fine Rare Vintage. With only 85 bottles being released world-wide, tasting this 30 year old is a rare treat. Price for a single bottle? $38,000!



17. Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum is merely the top-selling high strength rum in the world, bottled in 1940. Only four bottles are left from this precious liquor, each being estimated at $53,000.



18. The most expensive cocktail in the world, “Diamonds-Are-Forever”, has no special ingredients like we had so far. The only excuse for wearing the €11,000 price tag is that the olive is replaced by a 1.6 carat diamond. To be found in the hotel Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo.



19. The most expensive beer in the world costs around £500 (around $1,000) a bottle and is called Vielle Bon Secours. It can only be found in a bar called the Bierdrome in London.



20. The most expensive drinks list will eventually come to dovka. Diva Vodka, produced by the Blackwood Distillery in Scotland is the world’s most expensive vodka. Depending on your choice of “crystal decoration” the price of a single varies from £35 to a staggering £540,000!



21. Kona Nigari water, takes the title for the world’s most expensive water. The desalinated water high in minerals from the deep seas off Hawaii, costs $16.75 per ounce.


Friday, April 3, 2009

Ancient Japan's Aloeswood: Ranjatai

It is believed, the famous piece of aloeswood called Ranjatai was presented by Komyo Emperor for Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan, in the year 756(1244 years ago). Ranjatai was kept in the Shosoin warehouse of Todaiji Temple. Today, Ranjatai belongs to the Royal family of Japan. Every autumn, many treasures of Shosoin are exhibited in National Museum in Nara, titled Shosoin Ten (Exhibition). Ranjatai can be seen there every 10 or 15 years. Because there are many treasures in Shosoin, every year, they change the object of exhibition. The last exhibition of Ranjatai was four years ago, it may be ten years before we see Ranjatai again. Ranjatai has been now been identified as coming from Laos or Vietnam by Japan's leading expert on Aloeswood, Dr. Yoneda from Osaka University.
Aloeswood is a very popular ingredient in Japanese incense, and is often used in some Tibetan medicinal incense formulas.
The paper on Ranjatai mentions three parts were cut. One by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, one by the Daimyo Oda Nobunaga, and one by the Meiji Emperor.

Aloeswood / Lignum Aloes (Aquilaria malaccensis)

This has nothing to do with the aloes that most of us are familiar with. Instead, it comes from a knot that is formed by an evergreen tree when it is infected by a particular fungus. The tree produces a wonderfully scented resin, usually considered a Jupiter herb, as part of its immune response, and this resin permeates the wood. This substance is a classic in ceremonial magick. It has a very psychoactive scent. Chinese medicine uses aloeswood for obsessive thinking, nervousness, and exhaustion. In Ayurveda, it drives away evil spirits and helps clear mental illness. An aphrodisiac, when it is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, which gave it its name (from ahalim), it is in connection with sexuality, whether actual or spiritual--see the highly erotic Song of Solomon, for instance. Unfortunately, the harvesting of this type of wood has been so driven by greed that not only is the price absurd but many of the actual trees are gone. Supplier for the powder is no longer able to get any decent supply. The harvesting of aloeswood from other than government regulated plantations in Vietnam or the Philippines is the equivalent of strip mining, and I do not want to participate in that sort of trade, not to mention that such trade is illegal.

Aloeswood: 天然香料_沉香木

国产沉香。又名沉水香、沉香木、耳香、上沉、白木香、海南沉香、女儿香、莞香、岭南沉刀香。来自瑞香科植物白木香Aquilariasinensis(Lour)Gilg的含树脂的心材。

土沉香分为一号香(质重香浓)、二号香(质坚香浓)、三号香(质较松、香味佳)、四号香(质浮松、香淡)四种规格。其状不规则,表面多呈朽木状凹凸不平,有刀痕,偶有孔洞,可见黑褐色树脂与黄白色木质相间的斑纹。



进口沉香

又名沉水香、燕口香、蓬莱香、密香、芝兰香、青桂香等(以上为文献名)。来自瑞香科植物沉香(Aquilaria agal- lochaRoxb)的含树脂的心材。主产于印度尼西亚、马来西亚、新加坡、越南、柬埔寨、伊朗、泰国等地。

印度尼西亚、马来西亚、新加坡所产的沉香习称新州香,质量最好,燃之香味清幽,并能持久。越南产的沉香习称会安香,质量稍次,燃之香味甚善,带有甜味,但不能持久。

进口沉香多呈圆柱形或不规则棒状,表面为黄棕色或灰黑色;质坚硬而重,能沉于水或半沉于水;气味较浓,燃之发浓烟,香气强烈。进口沉香性微温,味苦辛。具有行气止痛、温中止呕、纳气平喘的功效,药效比白木香佳。(叶辑)


沉香木自古以来就是非常名贵的木料,亦是工艺品最上乘的原材料。明、清两代,宫廷皇室皆崇尚用此木制成各类文房器物,工艺精细,与犀角制作相同。由于沉香木珍贵且多朽木细干,用之雕刻,少有大材。因此在拍卖市场上一旦有沉香木制作的大件物品出现,往往会有令人惊讶的表现。



  目前沉香木赝品越来越多,真正的沉香木可以随着时间的流逝越来越香,而赝品沉香味不久就消失变淡了。真正的沉香木色泽会随着时间的推移而越来越深,油脂线也会越来越多,这些都是研判真伪的重要标准。
  沉香是沉香木树干被真菌侵入寄生,发生变化,经多年沉积形成的香脂,是具有驱秽避邪、调中平肝作用的珍贵药材,如今已很稀少。
  古籍中很早就有关于我国海南地区盛产品质上乘的沉香的记载。宋代,海南沉香由朝廷贡品逐渐成为商品,过度开采之势愈演愈烈,“一片万钱”。
  沉香按其结成情况不同一般可分为六类:“土沉”、“水沉”、“倒架”、“蚁沉”、“活沉”、“白木”等。沉香神秘而奇异的香味集结着千百年天地之灵气,有的馥郁,有的幽婉,有的温醇,有的清扬等等。沉浸在这种种异香的氤氲中,古人熏香沐浴的恬然,焚香品饮的雅致渐渐浮现脑海,耳边仿佛传来曾被贬居海南的苏东坡对沉香木的涵咏:金坚玉润,鹤骨龙筋,膏液内足……

福建莆田展出沉香木龙床售价5亿
一张用了3吨沉香木,雕上了55条活灵活现的青龙的宫廷龙床,究竟要卖多少钱?这难倒了众多古玩行家,而主人却给出了5亿元的价格。据说是太监从皇宫里偷运出来后,由爱新觉罗的后裔收藏,后卖给莆田一老板,黄金周期间展出后引起收藏界轰动。
专家说"沉香木龙床可值20亿元




沉香市场前景:

目前国内沉香合格品市场成交价大约为:
  特级品:3万元/公斤以上;
  上等品:3千元/公斤以上;
  一等品:1千元/公斤左右;
  
  二等品:500元/公斤左右。
  三、四等品:每公斤200-300元。
  加工沉香剔除的废木料,也能卖50-100元/公斤。
沉香木废料可以制成燃香、熏香,在日本及南美国家十分畅销。叶收购价10元/公斤左右,果子收购价3元/公斤左右。一般地现在海南那边觉香树每株会有上万元的高价收购.因此种植沉香树可以创造很高的经济价值.

Aloeswood, it is precious than gold



Introduction of Aloeswood:

Aloeswood - A Gift of Nature...
Aloeswood is one of the most rare and precious woods in the world, prized for its rich and wonderful fragrance. It has been used for centuries in religious ceremonies, as well as in traditional medicine. It is believed to have both mental and physical medicinal benefits – with properties thought to balance the mind and body and relieve pain.* Aloeswood is also believed by many to have aphrodisiacal qualities.

Botanical Information
Aloeswood, sometimes referred to as agarwood, belongs to the genus Aquilaria and to the species Agallocha. It is native to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia and Northern India, although resources in many of these areas have suffered from unchecked exploitation in recent times.

The tree that produces the aloeswood resin is a large evergreen, usually around 20 meters tall, but it can reach up to 40 meters.** The tree bears a fragrant, green and yellowish-white flower (shown on the right).

Aloeswood is not related to Aloe Vera (Latin name: Aloe barbadensis).

The Scent of Aloeswood
Aloeswood has a deep, woodsy scent, often described as warm and earthy. The aroma is distinctive and very penetrating. Because the scent is so pleasant, aloeswood is used to make essential oil and aloeswood chips, and it is also a prized ingredient of incense in the Middle East and in Japan. The fragrance of aloeswood can vary greatly depending on the country of origin, the density of resin and depending also on the part of the tree from which it is harvested. Read about the different grades of aloeswood.

Formation & Harvesting:


The Formation of Aloeswood

Aloeswood occurs as a result of a complex, natural defense mechanism in a tree. After it has been infected by a fungus, which attacks through wounds on its trunk, the tree begins to produce a resin within its limbs and trunk. Aloeswood is formed by the maturing of this resin, a process that can take anywhere from several decades to hundreds of years.
In the highest quality aloeswood, known as black agar or Kyara, the resin becomes so dense that it causes the wood to sink in water.
The fragrance of aloeswood can vary greatly depending on the country of origin, the density of resin and depending also on the part of the tree from which it is harvested.


The Cultivation of Aloeswood

Because aloeswood is so rare and precious, attempts are now being made to cultivate the wood in plantations in India and other places around the world, by deliberately infecting trees with the fungus that causes the resins to appear. While this is a sustainable way to produce aloeswood, the quality may differ from that of naturally-occuring, wild aloeswood.


Different Grades of Aloeswood

There are many different grades of aloeswood, which are determined based on the density of resin and the type and intensity of the aroma it produces. The lower grades are often used in essential oil, while the higher grades are mainly used for incense. Generally, like fine wine, the ones with the longest maturing time have the greatest aroma. The highest grade of aloeswood is called Kyara, which means "precious" in ancient Japanese, and it is more expensive per ounce than gold.





Thursday, April 2, 2009

MALDIVES- Holiday













Alibaba not travel with mattress anymore


Alibaba has rolled up the mattress and get into this... one of his favourite toy now.

Come in and take a look.












What a difference world now...but alibaba still miss his flying mattress.