Vanilla is the 2nd most expensive spice in the world.
Why it is true
It requires manual flower-by-flower pollination and a long drying process, making it extremely expensive (surpassed only by saffron).
Source: Food Industry
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Related facts
Black Ivory coffee is made from beans eaten and excreted by Thai elephants, making it one of the most expensive coffees in the world.
Outside Mexico, all vanilla pods must be pollinated by hand, one by one.
Figs contain digested dead wasps as part of their natural pollination process.
Vanilla flavoring was historically derived from castoreum, a secretion from beaver glands.
