Why Spanish Glass Eels (Angulas) Are So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Insider Business

Angulas are the young of the European eel. They are a delicacy in Spain, where a single kilogram can reach thousands of dollars at auction. Angulas are tiny. 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. And while angulas are prized for their crunchy texture, they have a very mild taste — almost nonexistent. If they don't taste like much, what makes these eels so special? And why are they so expensive?

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Why Spanish Glass Eels (Angulas) Are So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Insider Business

[techrevja]

Funny how they over fish the eels then complain about the numbers dropping each year 😂

[erdvilla]

I guess for people to whom money is not an object eating a plate of tasteless fish-worms for over 7000 dollars is a matter of "eating what almost no one else can afford" and not about eating something delicious and nutritious.

[ayoutubeuser]

European eel populations have been decimated over the last century with only a fraction remaining. As a wildlife biologist who enjoys this channel, I am consistently disappointed that many of these videos do not address the ecological harm these "expensive foods" have.

[harshit.]

I don't understand why this thing is so expensive even though the taste in this thing is almost non-existent...let them live freely

[nagasako]

Spain: "We ate all the baby eels? Why no eels left and why so expensive?"

[pri.sci.lla.]

It’s interesting how the “regulations” don’t have any catch limits.

[Trancision]

Dude still looks confused about why the eel numbers are declining.

[mikehewitt]

Perfect eat all the baby's no more eels job well done.

[ccarniver]

Catching these should be outlawed. The eels needs to be allowed to grow into adults!

[rafaelperalta]

It amazes me how some of these things manage to get so expensive, while other things as equally labor-intensive/ time-consuming/ weather dependent are so low in prices that their owners/harvesters live in severe poverty.

[eluna]

I don't understand the legal mechanisms that allow a critically endangered species to be fished, even in limited quantities.

[Gemarald]

Nature producing long noodles never ceases to amaze me.
Worms, Snakes, Eels, Slugs, Leaches, it's truly something to behold.
It's like living spaghetti.

[vorderlader]

It's an absolute shame the eels can't migrate to the local waters. We only have a fraction of the eels in our waters today than we did 20 years ago. People who catch and eat these baby eels are criminals.

[FedericoPrieto]

It was a dish that although it was always expensive, any one could afford it once in a wild. The decrease in fishing due to contamination and overexploitation as well as the entry of asian buyers have made it rare for any normal spaniard to try it even once in his life. But oddly enough, the substitutes called "Gulas", taste better...

[SpineChillingChronicles]

NOT to mention this is how species go extinct, Babies really?!

[CHloE]

It’s expensive because it’s rare… and it’s rare because it’s nearly extinct due to entitled rich people wanting to eat something poor people can’t.. They have no true happiness in their life so they are constantly looking for something to bring them joy, and make them feel important. It’s ridiculous that it’s legal to catch such an endangered species. Unless they can be farm raised and never need to come from the wild, they shouldn’t be eaten.

[dmmness]

I was shared some of these by the table next to me as they saw me looking to see what they had. It tastes like a very mild eel. Nothing special. No big flavors. They said that they order it all the time as they love the flavor and how exclusive it is. I thanked them for the experience if trying it for the first time but I'll definitely never order them for the price they are going for. Nor will I order them for their flavor. You taste what they are cooked in more than the actual eel flavor.

[DailyBongHits]

“In total darkness” as their headlamps illuminate everything 😂

[Bonbon-C]

We served this in a Spanish restaurant I used to work at in early 2000s. So for to those who wonder what it really tastes like. Angulas just tasted like a bland boiled fish in olive oil. That's Back then it wasn't really that expensive. I wonder why the prices have soared. Hmmmnnn.

[arnes]

Yow hold up.
All over the EU countries are being motivated to help save and protect the wild glass eel stocks so that they can find there way upstream. Just a bit shocking this is still going on.
also a fun fact: European eels are about 3 years old when they reach this size, it took 3 years for them to float there way over to the Spanish coast from the east coast of the US where they spawed.