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☆ Why Tourbillon Watches Are so Expensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Chris Snyder | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A tourbillon (French for "whirlwind") is a centuries-old mechanism built inside some of the world's most expensive watches. Today, collectors consider tourbillon watches works of fine art. Tourbillon watches' complex design, combined with their limited production, contributes to their exclusivity and high price tags. On the lower end, you may find some entry-level tourbillon watches for $30,000. However, most tourbillon watches from reputable brands range from $100,000 to several million dollars.

Persons: Tourbillon, Remy Locations: Lake Annecy, France

☆ 10 African Businesses Making the World's Most Expensive Products
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

In Tunisia, Mohamed cracks and scrapes at snails to make authentic Tyrian purple dye. Farther south in Uganda, Akello pounds and grinds nuts by hand to make silky, luxurious East African shea butter. Across Africa, small businesses and artisans are making some of the world's most expensive products. Our first stop is Fez, Morocco, where clay bars have been molded and transformed into colorful, handmade Zellige tiles for centuries.

Persons: Mohamed, shea Organizations: East Locations: Tunisia, Uganda, Africa, Fez, Morocco

☆ 11 of the Most Dangerous and Expensive Mining Expeditions in the World
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

In Uruguay, Renato sets off an explosive to reveal an ancient, glittery stone: amethyst. In Italy, Enrico cuts slabs off of one of the most expensive marbles in the world: Calacatta. Stones, salts, crystals, and other natural resources are worth millions of dollars, but getting to them is no easy feat. All over the world, miners are setting off on dangerous and strenuous missions on mountaintops, in underground tunnels, and below the seas to excavate these precious resources. Our first stop is Scotland, where experienced stonemasons turn a rare granite into Olympic curling stones worth over $600 apiece.

Persons: Renato, Enrico Locations: Uruguay, Italy, mountaintops, Scotland

☆ Why Mexican Corn Fungus, or Huitlacoche, Is so Expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Irene Anna Kim | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Huitlacoche, also known as the "Mexican truffle," is an edible fungus that forms on undeveloped corn ears and sells for as much as $40 a pound. Discovered by the Aztecs, the bulbous fungus has been consumed in Mexico for centuries and has recently become a popular specialty ingredient around the world. However, the US has dedicated significant time and money to keeping its cornfields free of what it calls "corn smut" and "the devil's corn." Huitlacoche forms naturally during the rainy season, but farmers can also inject the fungus into their cornfields to harvest the valuable "black gold." So, why has huitlacoche become so popular, and what exactly makes it so expensive?

Organizations: Aztecs Locations: Mexico

☆ Why French fleur de sel costs 230 times more than table salt
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Fleur de sel is a rare, unrefined salt that is made by evaporating seawater slowly in 2-centimeter-deep ponds. It's made in western France using centuries-old methods. Just locally, it can cost 230 times more than table salt. But for salt producers in the area to make a profit, winds need to constantly blow in their favor — literally. So, what are the right conditions for fleur de sel to form?

Persons: Fleur, It's Locations: France

☆ Why Kamebishi 20-year-aged soy sauce is so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Irene Anna Kim | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Kamebishi's 20-year-aged soy sauce is the most expensive soy sauce in the world, sometimes selling for $125 for less than 4 tablespoons. The soy sauce has been made using the same family recipe since 1753 and follows the traditional mushiro koji method, in which each step takes years to complete. For comparison, most popular soy sauces can cost less than a bottle of water, and other aged artisanal soy sauces generally cost around $40. Here's why Kamebishi's 20-year-aged soy sauce is so expensive. Editor's Note: At 0:24, an image of Kamebishi's 5-year-old soy sauce is shown while the voiceover speaks about its 20-year-old soy sauce, and at 2:13, an image of wheat is shown while the voiceover refers to soybeans.

Persons: Kaori Okada

☆ Why Ayam Cemani chickens are so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Irene Anna Kim | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Ayam Cemani is a rare breed of chicken that is completely black, including its organs, muscles, and bones. Cemani, pronounced che-MA-ni in Indonesian and seh-MA-ni by many English speakers, comes from Sanskrit and means "jet black." As a result of a condition called fibromelanosis, Cemani chickens have 10 times as much melanin as most chicken breeds. While the price varies, a high-quality Ayam Cemani can sell for over $6,000, and a single egg can fetch as much as $16. But what makes these chickens so special?

Locations: Indonesia

☆ Why Korean rice syrup is so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A 1-kilogram bottle of artisanal rice syrup can reach $140 .. It's all due to sikhye: a mixture of steamed rice, hot water, and barley malt. A 1-kilogram bottle of artisanal rice syrup can reach $140. It's all due to sikhye: a mixture of steamed rice, hot water, and barley malt. And is this why rice syrup is so expensive?

☆ A jar of 'ethical' foie gras will cost you over $200. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Irene Anna Kim | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In Extremadura, Spain, Eduardo Sousa produces "ethical foie gras" from wild geese. Foie gras is typically produced by force-feeding ducks or geese — a controversial process. The reason for the cost and the controversy is that it's produced by force-feeding ducks and geese. But in Extremadura, Spain, fifth-generation farmer Eduardo Sousa is trying something different: natural foie gras. Instead of force-feeding, Eduardo allows his geese to feed naturally on acorns and olives, and his processes have been certified by Spain's National Association of Ethical Food Producers.

☆ Why wild panela sugar is so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Panela is beloved in Colombia, where it is a go-to sweetener over the more processed white sugar. Depending on where it is made, panela can cost up to 17,000 pesos per kilogram. In the US, it can cost 20 times more than white sugar. It is a type of unrefined sugar where the molasses naturally present in the sugarcane is preserved, unlike refined white sugar. In the US, it can cost 20 times more than white sugar.

Loading Something is loading. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Known as samsas, these pastries come in all shapes and sizes and are always baked in vertical tandoor ovens. The result is a crispy and flaky outside layer that cocoons a steaming-hot meat center. We visited Samsa Markazi, a popular restaurant in Namangan, Uzbekistan, that makes 20 different types of samsas and sells nearly 3,000 of them every weekend.

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