The five most extravagant foods in the world

For food lovers, there's nothing more exciting than tucking into a truly indulgent gastronomic treat. Luckily, there is now a whole industry devoted to supplying gourmands with luxury foodstuffs from the four corners of the earth.

Here are five of the world's most extravagant foods:

Beluga caviar

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If you have a spare £24,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you could always treat yourself to a tin of beluga caviar, said to be the most expensive foodstuff in the world. Caviar has long been a staple of indulgent dining, but why is the Beluga variety so expensive?

The Beluga sturgeon, which gives us the caviar of the same name, is very rare. "Only about 100 units are caught in a year," according to Caviar Guide, making each one a highly-prized catch. In addition, the sturgeons take a long time to reach maturity – it can be 20 years before their roe can be harvested.

Gold pizza

Pizza isn't the first thing that leaps to mind when you hear the world 'luxury food', but an Essex pizza chain, Pizza GoGo, has managed to turn the budget fast food into an ultra-extravagant £500 treat.

Topped with lobster, caviar, truffle and 23-carat (edible) gold shavings, the Gold Pizza is far from your average takeaway.

It isn't exactly the most convenient option when you're peckish – you'll need to place your order with Pizza GoGo's head office at least three days in advance. But your £500 does include a butler who will deliver the pizza to your door.

Kobe beef

Wagyu or Kobe beef is one of Japan's best-known culinary specialities. There are only around 3,000 true Kobe cattle at any one time, meaning only a handful of restaurants are able to offer it. Kobe beef has a unique marbled appearance and tender texture thanks to the cattle being fed on beer and massaged every day by professionals.

All that care and attention comes at a price. While a 12oz rib-eye Kobe steak will set you back more than £100 in London's steakhouses, the biggest cuts sell for much more. New York's Craftsteak restaurant once offered a 103 Kobe beef rib, around 50lb of meat, for the princely sum of $2,800 (£2,142).

Albarragena Jamon Iberico de Bellota

The Guinness World Records committee recognises the Albarragena as the "most expensive leg of ham commercially available". It's sold in the Food Hall at Selfridges in London, where a 15lb leg clocks in at £1,800, working out at £120 per pound.

The three year aged legs come from a tiny herd of 50 specially-reared pigs in Spain which are fed acorns and roots to maximise their delicious flavour. To prove their authenticity, each leg of ham comes with its own DNA certificate.

White Alba Truffle

Truffles are a luxury in themselves, but for gourmands the White Alba variety is the last word in mouth-watering extravagance, with a scent and flavour considered unique. Native to a mere handful of spots in mountainous Northern Italy, they are only available for a matter of weeks after their October harvest. And with global warming blamed for an increasingly diminished harvest, they're only going to become more prized.

One ounce of the white Alba truffle, barely enough to garnish your linguine, can be bought online for $280 (£214). For a more generous 8oz portion, food lovers will need to be ready to hand over $2,880 (£2,200).

A hefty sum, to be sure, but guaranteed to get your dinner party guests talking.