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☆ 6 of the world's most smuggled foods
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

A lot of the world's most expensive foods get smuggled, but not always for the same reasons. And some smugglers even say they have legitimate reasons for illegally cashing in. We take a look at six of the world's most expensive foods we've covered and why they are smuggled. This creates a big incentive for smugglers, who are looking for ways to cut corners and cash in. So why are smugglers targeting these foods?

Organizations: Business

☆ How This 300-Year-Old Pastel Stick Maker Creates Nearly 2,000 Colors
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Sarah Elkasaby | Claudia Romeo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Henri Roché pastels are highly coveted for their particular texture, ability to adhere to most mediums, and intensity of colors. For over 300 years, La Maison du Pastel has handcrafted these pastels, used by artists like Degas. Today, the company is run and operated by just two women — Isabelle Roché, a distant relative of Henri Roché, and Margaret Zayer. But it's taken them decades of work since Isabelle took over the dying company in 2000 to build it back up to where it is today. We visited their secret workshop in the French countryside to see how La Maison du Pastel is still standing.

Persons: Henri, Degas, — Isabelle Roché, Henri Roché, Margaret Zayer, it's, Isabelle Organizations: Business

Su filindeu, or "threads of God," is the rarest pasta in the world. Today, there are fewer than 10 people there who know the secret to making the pasta as thin as a strand of hair. Secrecy nearly led to the dish’s disappearance, but now, the pasta is finding new customers abroad. We went to Italy to see how the process of making su filindeu is still standing. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Su filindeu Organizations: Business Locations: Sardinian, Nuoro, Italy

From Assamese muga silk to jasmine oil used in luxury perfumes and from aromatic sandalwood to real saffron that costs over $10,000 per kilogram, we traveled the length of the subcontinent to uncover the stories behind some of the most expensive products made in India. Our first stop is Amritsar, where a factory makes the only chess sets used in the World Chess Championship.

Locations: India, Amritsar

☆ 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 stockfish is so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Emily Christian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Stockfish is cod that is dried naturally, without using salt. But stockfish supply and prices are volatile. Sellers here in Nigeria have no control over how much fish is dried and how much of it gets here, because stockfish cannot be made in Nigeria. It is dried thousands of miles away in Norway, where there are entire operations dedicated to stockfish. So what does it take to get stockfish to Nigeria?

Locations: Nigeria, Norway, stockfish

☆ Why royal jelly is so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Pj Rickards | Claudia Romeo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Royal jelly is a secretion honeybee workers make to feed larvae of future queen bees. All bees consume royal jelly, but once a queen is selected, workers then feed on pollen and honey, while only the queen feeds on the prized jelly. Royal jelly contains much more nutrients than honey and is often referred to as the "superfood of the beehive." Royal jelly can be found in its natural form, as a health supplement, and in skincare products, and it can reach $125 per pound. But extracting royal jelly requires great precision, as the process can be done only by hand.

☆ 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?

☆ Why Spanish baby eels are so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Pj Rickards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Baby eels are a delicacy in Spain. A single kilogram can reach thousands of dollars at auction. To reach just 1 kilo, fishers need to catch 3,000 eels. They are a delicacy in Spain, where a single kilogram can reach thousands of dollars at auction. Fishers need to catch 3,000 eels to reach just 1 kilo, a task that requires spending entire nights in the water, in total darkness, braving strong tides and stormy seas.

☆ 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.

☆ Why Manoomin Wild Rice Is So Expensive
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Emily Christian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Manoomin is a type of wild rice harvested in the Great Lakes region of North America. At $24 per pound, manoomin costs 15 times as much as white rice. At $24 per pound, manoomin costs 15 times as much as white rice. For the Ojibwe people, harvesting this rice means much more than money. So, what is the meaning of manoomin?

☆ Why Pitaya (Mexican Dragon Fruit) Is So Expensive
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Pj Rickards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Covered in spines and hiding a rich, colorful pulp, pitayas are an important fruit in Mexico. A batch of 4,000 pitayas can sell for over $7,400. Getting your hands on some in the US can cost up to $22 for a bucket of 5 fruits. Getting your hands on some in the US can cost up to $22 for a bucket of five fruits. Workers must pick, despine, and transport the pitayas all in a single day to ensure they reach customers without spoiling.

☆ Why Nordic wild blueberries are so expensive
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Pj Rickards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Bilberries are sweet purple berries that grow wild in the forests of Nordic countries. In the form of juices or supplements, they can reach over $200 per kilogram. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyBilberries, or Nordic wild blueberries, are sweet purple berries that grow wild in the forests of Nordic countries. To ensure the tiny berries hold on to their precious antioxidants, companies in Finland spend entire days sorting and freezing them at precise temperatures. So what makes these tiny berries so nutritious?

☆ Why Fox Nuts (Water Lily Seeds) Are So Expensive
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Claudia Romeo | Pj Rickards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Makhana, as they are known locally, are the seeds of the prickly water lily plant. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyOnce popped, water lily seeds look just like popcorn. But a bag of these seeds, also known as fox nuts, will cost you much more: over $170 per kilogram. Farmers in India work tirelessly for over four days, partially submerged in 4-foot-deep water, kneeling in the scorching sun, and roasting the seeds in blazing-hot woks. So are water lily seeds worth it?

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