The most expensive spices in the world

A photo of food spices by Monaam Ben Fredj – Wikimedia commons

The most expensive spices in the world

A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish.

Spices are sometimes used in medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics, or perfume production. For example, vanilla is commonly used as an ingredient in fragrance manufacturing. A spice may be available in several forms: fresh, whole dried, or pre-ground dried and stored in powder form.

Some spices are not always available either fresh or whole like turmeric, and often must be purchased in ground form. Small seeds, such as fennel and mustard seeds, are often used both whole and in powder form. In the article are the most expensive spices in the world.

1. Saffron

A photo of Saffron by PersianDutchNetwork – Wikimedia commons

Saffron is a spice derived from the stigma of the Crocus sativus flower The Crocus sativus flower is native to various parts of Eurasia. It’s prized for its delicate floral flavor and is employed extensively in traditional Middle Eastern, Indian, and Western European cookery.

Saffron is highly-prized for its delicate flavor and the beautiful golden hue it gives to traditional Indian, Middle Eastern, North African, and European dishes. Saffron costs $5, 000 per pound. It is the most expensive spice in the world.

2. Fennel Pollen

Have you ever had or are you a fan of Italian sausage or Indian food? Fennel pollen is widely used in Indian food and Italian sausages. Almost every part of the fennel plant, from the bulbs to the seeds, is used in some capacity in pan-cultural cuisine.

However, pollen from the fennel plant is the most crucial part that makes good spices. The pollen has the most intense and complex flavors.

These flowers aren’t easy to come by, hence the outsized dollar amount attached to them. The Fennel pollen costs $500 per pound.

3. Pure Vanilla

A photo of Vanilla Beans/ Pure Vanilla bt B.navas – Wikimedia commons

Pure Vanilla is also called Vanilla Beans. Synthetic vanilla is one of the world’s most common food flavorings. It’s found everywhere in desserts, cookies, and ice creams.

Vanilla extracts which are undiluted vanilla essence are the chemical compound that gives genuine vanilla its good flavor.

But this mass-produced seasoning bears no resemblance to the gorgeous rich aroma and taste of genuine vanilla bean seeds and pods. Pure Vanilla costs $300 per pound.

4. Mahleb

A photo of Mahaleb seeds by Wikimedia commons

Mahleb is the top commodity of trade among European and Arabian spice traders for centuries now. The popularity of Mahleb popularity is anticipated to keep glowing for a long time and no signs that its supply in the market will decline due to its high demand.

Mahleb has a sweet, fragrant, slightly bitter spice produced by processing the stones of fruit from the Prunus mahaleb tree, or St. Lucie cherry, a species of cherry tree that grows mainly in central and southern Europe, Asia, and select areas in the Near East.

To reduce the whole cherries to fine dust suitable for sprinkling, spice makers must extract, dry, and then grind it in pits at a time. Mahleb cost $80 per pound.

5. Long Pepper

A photo of Long Pepper – Wikimedia commons

Long pepper also Piper longum is sometimes called Indian long pepper or thippali. Long Pepper is a flowering vine in the family of Piperaceae. It is cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning.

Long pepper has a taste similar to, but hotter than, that of its close relative Piper nigrum: from which black, green and white pepper are obtained. Long Pepper costs $45 per pound.

The fruit of the pepper consists of many minuscule fruits: each about the size of a poppy seed; embedded in the surface of a flower spike that closely resembles a hazel tree catkin. Like Piper nigrum, the fruits contain the alkaloid piperine, which contributes to their pungency.

6. Black Cumin Seed

A photo of Black Cumin Seeds by Sanjay Acharya – Wikimedia commons

Black cumin can refer to the seeds of either of two quite different plants, both of which are used as spices: Elwendia persica, black cumin is considered similar to caraway. However, the two are distinctly different plants. The seeds differ dramatically in shape, color, and size.

Nigella sativa, black caraway is also called kalonji or nigella and is more common in the Far East, Mideast, Bangladesh, India, and Africa. The seeds of Black Cumin are smaller, thinner, and darker in color. They cost $40 per pound.

7. Kaffir Lime Leaves

A photo of Kaffir Lime Leaves by Herusutimbul – Wikimedia commons

Citrus hystrix, called the kaffir lime or makrut lime is a citrus fruit native to tropical Southeast Asia and southern China. Its fruit and leaves are used in Southeast Asian cuisine and its essential oil is used in perfumery. Its rind and crushed leaves emit an intense citrus fragrance.

The leaves are widely used in Thai for dishes such as tom yum, Cambodian cuisine (for the base paste “krueng”, Vietnamese cuisine to add fragrance to chicken dishes and to decrease the pungent odor when steaming snails, Indonesian cuisine for foods such as Soto Ayam, and are used along with Indonesian bay leaf for chicken and fish.

The leaves are also found in Malaysian and Burmese cuisines. The rind is commonly used in Lao and Thai curry paste, adding an aromatic, astringent flavor. The spice costs $35 per pound.

8. Grains of Paradise

A photo of Grains of Paradise by Shaddii – Wikimedia commons

Grains of Paradise is also known as alligator pepper, Roman pepper, melegueta pepper, and Guinea grains. The spice is delicious, often described as a cross between black pepper, ginger, and cardamom. It is grown n West Africa.

The spice has a tantalizing taste and purported health benefits (treating indigestion problems and low sex drive) The cost of Grains of Paradise is $35 per pound.

9. Green Cardamom

A photo of Green Cardamom by Prathyush Thomas – Wikimedia commons

Cardamom sometimes cardamon or cardamum is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae. Species used for cardamom are native throughout tropical and subtropical Asia.

The Green Cardamom are recognized by their small seed pods: triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin, papery outer shell and small, black seeds; Elettaria pods are light green and smaller, while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown. Their quoted price is $ 30 per pound.

10. Pasilla de Oaxaca Chiles

Pasilla de Oaxaca chiles are a cultivar of Capsicum annuum and are closely related to commonly known chiles like Poblanos, Chilacas, and Jalapeños. Like most Mexican chiles, Pasilla de Oaxaca chiles go by different names when they are fresh versus when they are dried. The cost of the spice is $29 per pound.

There are many other expensive spices but the ones explained in the article are the ten most expensive spices in the world. There are other spices like Ceylon Cinnamon and Black Cardamom which are so aromatic and good.