Why 5 Of The World's Priciest Salts And Spices Are So Expensive | So Expensive Food

Business Insider・2 minutes read

Bamboo salt from South Korea is the most expensive globally and involves a labor-intensive roasting process, while other spices like Ceylon cinnamon, green cardamom, and cloves also require intricate production methods and offer various health benefits. River reed salt from Kenya is rare, expensive, and has a unique umami-like taste, showcasing the diversity and richness of global spices.

Insights

  • Bamboo salt from South Korea is a premium salt that undergoes a labor-intensive process involving roasting sea salt inside bamboo at extremely high temperatures, costing nearly $100 for a small jar and offering various health benefits.
  • The production of high-quality spices like Ceylon cinnamon, green cardamom, and cloves requires meticulous handwork, specialized skills, and careful sorting processes, resulting in expensive price tags but offering unique flavors, health benefits, and quality distinctions.

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Recent questions

  • What is bamboo salt?

    Bamboo salt is a premium salt from South Korea made by roasting sea salt inside bamboo at high temperatures to infuse minerals and remove impurities.

  • How is Ceylon cinnamon produced?

    Ceylon cinnamon is produced by stripping the inner bark of the tree, drying it, and forming thin quills, with skilled workers producing only a few pounds a day.

  • What are the health benefits of bamboo salt?

    Bamboo salt is claimed to have health benefits like improved immune system and anti-cancer effects due to its mineral-rich composition and unique production process.

  • Why is green cardamom expensive?

    Green cardamom is expensive because it requires six kilograms of raw pods to produce one kilogram of the spice, with a labor-intensive harvesting process and skilled workers training for months.

  • What are the qualities of high-quality cloves?

    High-quality cloves are sorted based on size, age, crown presence, and picking time, taking three days to dry under sunlight to preserve their oil content and medicinal properties.

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Summary

00:00

"Rare Bamboo Salt: Expensive Korean Delicacy"

  • Bamboo salt from South Korea is the most expensive salt globally, costing nearly $100 for an eight and a half ounce jar.
  • The process of making bamboo salt involves roasting sea salt inside bamboo at high temperatures to infuse minerals and remove impurities.
  • Nine times roasted bamboo salt, a premium variety, can cost over 10 times more than pink Himalayan salt due to its labor-intensive production process.
  • The final roast of bamboo salt reaches over 1,000 degrees Celsius, melting the salt and bamboo into a mold, requiring expert operation to avoid wastage.
  • Bamboo salt is used in cooking, traditional Korean medicine, toothpaste, soap, and various remedies, with claims of health benefits like improved immune system and anti-cancer effects.
  • Ceylon cinnamon, named after Sri Lanka, is considered real cinnamon and requires delicate work to produce thin quills, costing $27 per pound.
  • The process of making Ceylon cinnamon involves stripping the inner bark of the tree, drying it, and forming quills, with skilled workers producing only a few pounds a day.
  • Ceylon cinnamon is healthier than cassia cinnamon, containing lower levels of coumarin, an organic compound that can cause liver damage.
  • Green cardamom, known as the queen of spices, requires six kilograms of raw pods to produce one kilogram of the spice, selling for $90 per kilogram.
  • Harvesting green cardamom is a labor-intensive process, with skilled workers training for six months to pick ripe pods, dry them, and grade them based on size, weight, and color.

23:14

Clove Harvesting and Processing for High-Quality Oil

  • During peak harvesting season, about 300 workers are employed, earning around $30 a day on average.
  • Clove clusters are carefully picked, and individual buds are sorted based on size, age, and the presence of a crown.
  • Charles prefers hand sorting to prevent clove damage, despite the availability of machinery.
  • Cloves are categorized into three qualities based on size, crown presence, and picking time.
  • High-quality cloves take three days to dry under good sunlight, affecting their oil content and price.
  • Clove oil, rich in eugenol, offers medicinal benefits like antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Kanyakumari cloves, known for high oil content, are sold at varying prices based on quality and oil content, with the highest grade fetching $10 per kilogram.
  • River reed salt, a rare and expensive salt, is made from matua plant reeds along the Anzoya River in Kenya, with a unique umami-like taste.
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