Cocoa extended its surge — gaining more than $700 per ton in a single day and surpassing $9,000 for the first time ever — as a supply crunch grips the market and chocolate makers grapple for beans.
Try Cardamom. That stuff is getting ridiculous, ~$20 for a small standard grocery store spice rack jar. Apparently climate change is affecting the production. I was making some Indian food and ran out, went to the store and was shocked at the sticker price. A quick calculation seems that it’s about $15,500/US ton, ~50¢/oz bulk market cost, whole allspice.
I put it on a lot of things sweet and savory alike. It goes with the rosemary, pepper, salt and coriander when I roast potatoes. It also goes into snickerdoodles or a half dozen different kinds of cake. It also makes a really good additive to soap if you make your own soap.
It's such an underappreciated spice, at least in the US where nobody seems to know what's going on despite enjoying the food.
The only time people don't question what the flavor is, is when I make Indian food.
Cardamom is a pretty common spice in Chai. It is also used in certain styles of biryani and various curries. Various indian sweets can also contain it. The Swedes apparently use it in cakes and pastries.