Uploaded May 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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The saffron war of 1374 lasted 14 weeks driven by a notion that the spice could cure plague. It can’t. But people lost their heads over it. It’s not just gold, diamonds, and oil we cherish and plunder. Seemingly benign commodities—whether it’s medicinal tea or stinky fungus—have exerted power over us for centuries. Here’s just a taste of their recent history.

Learn more: http://pops.ci/67wHes

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Producer/Video By
Jason Lederman

Narrator
Corinne Iozzio

Research
Ellen Airhart

Graphs
Sara Chodosh

Media
Wikimedia Commons
Pexels
Pixabay
African Wildlife Foundation
Amazon
Mophie
DepositPhotos
depositphotos.com/63608823/stock-photo-tin-can-and-a-spoon.html
depositphotos.com/193413112/stock-photo-da-hong-pao-oolong-tea.html
depositphotos.com/177780130/stock-photo-set-for-chinese-tea-ceremony.html

CC BY 2.0
flickr.com/photos/geishaboy500/4321852882 (cropped and rotated)

CC BY-SA 2.0
flickr.com/photos/skewgee/7082047069

CC BY 3.0
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%A2%E8%A2%8D_-_Dahongpao(Big_Red_Robe_Tea)_on_the_Cliff_-_2010.09_-_panoramio.jpg

CC BY-SA 3.0
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Beluga_sturgeon_in_aquarium.webm

CC BY-SA 4.0
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Safran-Weinviertel_Niederreiter_2_Gramm_8285.jpg (original and background removed)
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White-truffle-pic.jpg (original and background removed)
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hongwu1_crop.jpg (cropped)

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