Most Expensive Spice in The World: Saffron or Vanilla?

Spices – healthy, delicious, and sometimes pure luxury

Many dishes would lose their taste without the right seasoning. But many plants are valued not only because of their extraordinary taste. You might not have guessed that some spices were once more valuable than gold.

• Just like precious metals or precious stones, spices are often used as a sign of wealth and luxury. Which condiment is right at the top of the luxury scale changes over time from time to time.
• Cinnamon, for example, which is still popular today, is one of the spices that were at times more valuable than gold. Especially in the Middle Ages, the nobility in particular liked to splurge on tasty and healthy brown raw material.
• The value of spice depends on a wide variety of factors. This includes availability as well as production conditions or the current lifestyle trend. In addition, the following also applies to the noble flavor enhancers: the less there is, the more valuable the spice is usually.
• The two flavor flatterers vanilla and saffron are currently at the top of the list of the world’s most expensive spices.

The front runner among the precious spices

Spices are primarily characterized by their taste, but their color, smell, and, last but not least, their appearance also influence our senses.

• Vanilla has been valued for many centuries to refine food and drinks. According to legend, the Aztec king Montezuma II was almost addicted to cocoa with vanilla.
• The aromatic plants made their way to Europe in the 19th century, where they were initially reserved for the nobility and wealthy citizens. Over time, more and more vanilla was grown and the price dropped accordingly. In addition, it was possible to artificially produce the flavor enhancer, although the artificial vanilla still does not come close to the aroma of real vanilla.
• The price of vanilla varies depending on the growing area, processing, and availability. After the pods were sometimes available for around 30 euros per kilogram, the price has risen rapidly again in recent years and is now around 500 euros per kilogram. There is no doubt that vanilla is an extremely expensive spice, but it is clearly topped by saffron.
• Saffron owes its name to the ancient Persians, who simply gave the plant the name Szafran, which means something like “be yellow”. In addition to its taste, it gives many dishes that special something thanks to its coloring properties. For example, what would paella be without the bright yellow of the saffron?
• In contrast to vanilla, saffron cannot yet be produced artificially. However, scientists are on the trail of the secret of the luxury spice. They suspect that the protein carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenase 2 is responsible for the distinctive taste and color.
• The noble spice is mainly cultivated in Spain, but saffron also thrives in countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Kashmir. In addition to the climatic conditions, however, the plant places very specific requirements on the harvest.
• Saffron flowers only once a year for two weeks. During this time, the saffron blossoms have to be harvested by hand in an extremely laborious process in the early hours of the morning. The valuable saffron threads are then removed from the flowers.
• Of course, all this has its price, which varies considerably depending on the quality. For a particularly high-quality luxury spice, you have to reckon with up to 15,000 euros per kilogram. If you don’t need quite so exquisite saffron, you pay around 2,000 euros per kilogram.