Most Expensive Spices

The word “spice” comes from the Latin?species, or ‘special wares’, and refers to an item of special value, as opposed to ordinary articles of trade.

Spices were highly valued because, as well as being used in cooking, many had ritual, religious or medical uses. They were of high value because of their relative geographical scarcity. Spices could only be grown in the tropical East, in the South of China, Indonesia as well as in Southern India and Sri Lanka. In particular, they grew in the Moluccas a chain of mountainous islands in the Pacific Ocean between Sulawesi and New Guinea,. Some spices, such as cloves and nutmeg, grew nowhere else in the world.

Spices has been for ages, it was also used for trading as a form of money. Nutmeg has a very interesting history, dating all the way back to the 1st century A.D. It was a treasured spice,?considered high currency for trade like US dollar now , and was even the cause of war like for oil in now.

In past the prices of spices were astronomical. However, by the 19th century many people could afford spices because the spice monopolies had collapsed. Although to this day some spices continue to be extremely expensive.

Today getting our hands on spices is a lot easier than it had been in times past , after all, you can now buy spices from around the world from the comfort of your own home and come on your front door with few clicks.

As before a large and impressive network of sea routes that linked the East and West stretching from the west coast of Japan, through the Islands of Indonesia, around the Indian subcontinent to the Iranian Plateau, the Arabian Peninsula and eventually Europe, facilitated the largescale trade of spices over a distance of more than 15,000 kilometres. These ‘spice routes’ made up just one maritime part of the expansive trade networks of the Silk Roads.

But one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the fact that the prices of spices are still regulated by that ancient principle of supply and demand. Many spices are difficult to harvest, which of course limits global supply. Today the world’s three most expensive spices are Saffron, Vanilla and Mahlab.

Spices are plants or parts characterized by lots of aromas and flavours. These condiments are essential in any kitchen and keep our dishes from tasting bland. Marrying and pairing these spices with main ingredients are key. I find very stupid to use saffron and garam masala together, saffron with fenugreek leaves.

Saffron

Originating from a flower called Crocus Sativus, the high price of saffron comes from the laborious harvest work of picking the stigmas delicately by hand to prevent damage and leaving them to dry. To collect a kilogram of saffron would take about 40 hours of labour. This spice, which is by far the most expensive in the world, can be harvested in Northern India, Kashmir is famous for saffron and their local dish Rogan Josh, the Mediterranean and parts of the Middle East. Its uses include not only enhancing the favour of your food, but also perfuming baths and it can even be used as a medicinal narcotic.

Saffron produced Jumla and Dolpa region of the Nepal, which has an excellent weather condition for the production of saffron.?

Vanilla

The main reason that Vanilla is such an expensive spice is because of the fact that it comes from the orchids of the genus Vanilla flowers, which have to be hand-pollinated and are also harvested by hand shortly before they ripen, and are thereafter treated with water vapor and stored in an airtight container for 4 weeks to ferment. Madagascar’s Bourbon vanilla beans are the most popular type of vanilla because of their rich, creamy flavour. And along with Mexico, Madagascar is the world’s largest producer of vanilla.

Despite still being the world’s second-most expensive spice, the price of vanilla has actually dropped quite a bit over the past few years, This is largely due to a simultaneous increase in supply along with a decrease in demand because of the growing use of synthetic vanilla.

Mahlab

Mahlab is a very rare spice that comes from the seed kernel of St. Lucie cherries, native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. Its taste can best be described as a combination of cherries, almonds and floral, which makes it one of the world’s most versatile spices. It is used in a variety of traditional pastry dishes in places like Greece and Iraq, and is a most tempting addition to dairy-induced recipes such as rice pudding. The time-consuming process of producing Mahlab contributes greatly to its price, since the rock-hard cherry pits need to be cracked open and dried before they’re sold either as a whole seed or in powder form.

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