- We've all heard that food feeds our bodies as much as it does our souls.

But sometimes, food can also feed people's egos.

Ingredients that are rare, hard to source, or come from across the globe can sometimes be seen as a status symbol and their high price tag lends to their exclusivity.

Throughout history many foods and traditions were reserved for only the wealthiest and the most powerful.

But thanks to technology and increased accessibility they're commonplace today.

So let's take a trip through the lifestyles of history's most rich and famous as we explore how we used to use food to flaunt our wealth.

(upbeat music) What are the most opulent foods you can serve at a party?

Caviar, shrimp cocktail, bacon wrapped scallops, that's my favorite.

Well, in Europe during the mid 1600s having pineapples at your party was a total power move.

And these weren't pineapples for eating.

These were just display pineapples like you could look at these pineapples but you could not touch them.

That's because pineapples were a new world fruit.

Native to South America, they were perceived as exotic, not just because of their appearance, I mean how many European fruits look like the spiky, regal pineapple.

But also because they were found on the other side of the globe and had to endure a long journey before ending up at a totally exclusive party.

About a century later, Europeans figured out how to grow pineapples in hot houses in England and the Netherlands.

But even then, eating a pineapple getting a taste of that tart, juicy, fibrous fruit was still reserved for royalty.

All the commoners had to rent their pineapples which yes, just like you can rent the runway today, there was a pretty prevalent pineapple rental market during the Georgian era.

The same fad also reached the American colonies which unlike the Europeans, they hadn't figured out how to grow pineapples in American soil.

So pineapples circulating around the colonies were shipped up from South America and the Caribbean.

And after a voyage at sea, they were not in the best condition.

They were old, dented and cost colonists upwards of $8,000 in today's money.

But listen, what is money except a tool to show off your power?

Between Europe's pineapple rental market and America's moldy pineapples souries, you know that the quality and condition of the pineapple had to be some real gossip fuel.

During the 18th century, people were slurping soup in style out of soup tureens.

These fancy serving bowls came in all shapes and sizes and the larger and more elaborate, the more prominent the owner.

They were a statement piece.

If you were wealthy enough to have a soup tureen made for you it was often decorated with symbols of things that were important to you.

Like a family crest, a depiction of an event in your life or even your favorite fairy tale or bible passage.

Soup tureens are still pretty popular today and though the average person can now get their hands on pretty elaborate ones, there is still a competitive collector's market.

In 2014, someone bought a George the IV silver soup tureen for $425,000.

That's a lot of moolah.

Like imagine how much soup you could buy with $425,000.

During 1800s, celery wasn't just the buffalo wing garnish that it is today or a means of getting ranch in your mouth.

It was however, a vegetable that gained its exclusivity because it was so difficult to grow.

Celery had to be grown in the trenches in the wetlands of East Anglia.

And it had to be dug up periodically to maintain its color.

You know that very appetizing pale, green.

Celery didn't yield much of a crop and because of its rarity it was one of the most expensive vegetables in Great Britain.

To further flex their wealth, some people would invest in celery vases.

Celery vases looked a lot like ornate ice cream sundae glasses but instead of scoops of ice cream, they were meant to hold stocks of celery.

Imagine having like a plume of greenery emerging from a glass almost like a flower bouquet.

It showed how classy you were to other people.

Celery remained a popular vegetable among the elite through the early 20th century.

In fact a few hours before the titanic sank, passengers in first class were served a 10 course meal where not one, but two courses included celery.

One of the courses was a (indistinct) with celery.

And I'm not sure how this dish was served because Instagram was not around.

But I really hope that it was like the world's fanciest (indistinct) a girl can only dream.

So what do you consider a luxury dish?

And what do you think people will say about it in 100 years from now?

Tell us in the comments.