They were the reason why Christopher Columbus went on a long and dangerous journey, as a result of which “by mistake” discovered America. They were so valuable that the ancient Romans paid for them in gold. They were the cause of numerous wars and conquests. What are these mysterious values? Of course, spices!
Nowadays they say that money makes the world go round. Perhaps today it is so, but many centuries ago the world was forced to rotate spices. These aromatic substances created by nature, which humanity carefully collected and stored in the form of seeds, oils, powders since ancient times, literally made history. They were so important and so expensive that people rushed to conquer new territories in search of these flavor enhancers. And today, all the main spices can be bought in the nearest market, and although they grow in the bulk is still in the East, spices are used in kitchens around the world.
For many centuries, the most expensive spice in the world was black pepper. But since it was specially grown whole plantations, black pepper began to be used in literally every household around the world. The price of it has fallen, and today black pepper is one of the most affordable seasonings.
And what spices are the most expensive today? Here are the three most luxurious spices that are not cheap, and that you can still afford in your kitchen.
Saffron
Saffron in today’s spice market is the most expensive spice. Its price ranges from 10 to 15 thousand dollars per kilogram, depending on the quality. Fortunately, we do not buy it in kilograms. In stores you will be offered saffron, packaged as much as 2 g, but most often – 0.5 g. by the Way, 90% of the most expensive spices in the world are produced from Iran.
Why is saffron so expensive? Basically, because the collection of saffron is a very laborious process: to get a kilogram of this spice, it will take 250 thousand Crocus flowers and more than 600 man-hours of work.
In addition, each Crocus flower gives only three saffron threads, which should be collected on the day when the flower bloomed. Saffron threads are collected only two weeks a year, around September — October: some species of Crocus bloom in the spring, Crocus sowing, which serves as a raw material for the collection of saffron, refers to the autumn-flowering. Therefore, the collection of stigmas is limited in time, requires accuracy, proper drying and storage.
Crocus sativus is one of the oldest plants bred by man. It is believed that the plant was bred on the island of Crete during the Minoan civilization. Saffron does not occur in nature and does not reproduce on its own. The fields of onion seed Crocus are planted and cultivated by hand, and this also affects the fantastic price of the most expensive spice in the world.
About the history of the use of saffron by man can write entire volumes, which will be mentioned “saffron wars”, long journeys, cure various diseases, magic potions and baths for the ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.
Today, this spice is used in the food industry because of its bitter-spicy flavor, chemical composition (spice contains valuable essential oils, many vitamins and minerals), preservative properties, as well as a coloring natural substance in the production of many food products. Recently, scientists have found this spice a number of medicinal qualities: it is recommended for some forms of cancer, depression and age-related visual impairment.
This truly Golden (not only in color) spice is produced in Spain and Italy, in Soviet times crocuses for the collection of saffron threads were grown in the Caucasus, but the most famous and expensive variety in the world saffron comes from Iran.
Vanilla
The second most expensive spice in the world is vanilla fruit. Although the plant itself vanilla (Liana from the Orchid family) comes from Mexico, it is perfectly cultivated in Madagascar and other Islands of the Indian ocean.
Of course, the price of vanilla can not be compared with the outlandish cost of saffron, but still this spice can not be attributed to the cheap. A hundred grams of vanilla pods (strictly speaking, the fruit of vanilla is a box, as in the “pod” of vanilla there are no partitions characteristic of pods) will cost you $ 20.
The price of this fragrant spice, without which many can not imagine baking or dessert, depends on where it was grown and in what form is sold (in the form of extract or seeds). For example, in the international market vanilla extract is sold at $ 260 per gallon (4.54 l), and a small bottle of 30 ml of vanilla extract will cost about $ 6.
Half a kilogram of vanilla beans in the spice market can sell for $ 50 or more (according to CNN Money). So you may well save money by producing the extract from vanilla beans by yourself.
Cardamom
Although this seasoning is cheaper than saffron and vanilla, still, cardamom is not cheap. It is known as the “king of Indian spices” and is sold internationally at 60 euros per kilogram (or about 30 dollars per pound).
Cardamom is a tropical plant that grows in southern India, and it is cultivated in Madagascar. This plant belongs to the ginger family. Seed the cardamom pods are harvested still green, dried, and then moistened and dried again. There are two varieties of cardamom – brown and green, the latter has a delicate aroma, reminiscent of perfume. Brown cardamom gives a strong aroma, similar to camphor, with a pleasant note of smokiness. Both types of this plant are great for making tea, so are widely used in tea collections. Green cardamom is especially tasty in desserts.
Like other spices, cardamom with its wonderful properties known to man since ancient times. In Ancient Rome, for example, cardamom was valued as a breath freshener. The Romans, along with the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, used cardamom to clean their teeth after eating and for oral health.
Today, cardamom, as in ancient times, is used to treat cough, asthma, inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract.Just like vanilla, cardamom is used in cosmetics and food industries.