By Niveditha Kalyanaraman
December 26th, 2023
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Why are some spices more expensive than others? It’s partly down to the high cost of production and also the cost of importation. Here are 7 most expensive spices in the world.
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The most expensive spice by weight is pure saffron. Saffron spice comes from the crocus flower and has to be handpicked. Each flower has only three red stigmas, so you’d need 170,000 flowers to make one pound of saffron.
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The second most expensive spice in the world is organic fennel pollen. Although it’s not difficult to grow fennel, the pollen must be picked by hand and has a very low yield of around a gram at a time.
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There are a few reasons why vanilla is expensive. 80% of the world’s vanilla production comes from Madagascar, which is sometimes hit by cyclones affecting the crops.
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The reason why mahlab is so expensive is because it’s a very lengthy process to crack open the cherry pits.
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Also known as pipli, long pepper is the fruit of a flowering vine plant. With a distinctive conical appearance, this costly spice used to be popular in African, Indonesian, Indian and Mediterranean cooking.
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As they need to be picked by hand from long, thorny branches, kaffir lime leaves are expensive. Also known as makrut lime, they are native to South East Asia and very popular in Thailand.
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Nicknamed The Queen of Spices, black cardamom’s scientific name is Amomum subulatum. Growing on the slopes of the Himalayas in India, and Nepal, this spice is similar to green cardamoms.
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