# Mustard and Pepper **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2000, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustard-and-pepper/24606 "2000-07-05T01:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sethdallob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@sethdallob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sethdallob)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2000, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustard-and-pepper/24606/1 "2000-07-05T01:46:36Z")
From what I remember, mustard is prepared from the seed of the mustard plant, and common black pepper is a berry from a bush. I don’t understand how growing mustard and pepper can be commercially viable when the finished product costs so little. It seems like one would need a farm the size of California to produce enough pepper and/or mustard to make a decent living, and in any case, there seems to be many other more profitable crops. Does anyone know the reasons why and where pepper and mustard are grown?? Seth ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2000, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustard-and-pepper/24606/2 "2000-07-05T02:14:23Z")
It helps that incomes in third world countries are in the hundreds or low thousands of dollars(US) per year. Funny how people in America, Western Europe, etc. just won’t work for $5/day any more. Use a good search engine, such as “[Google.com](http://Google.com)” and you can find out where they are grown. And probably the answer to your original questions. ---
**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2000, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustard-and-pepper/24606/3 "2000-07-05T09:04:21Z")
In addition to low wages in the 3rd world you also had to consider volume. If I sell 100 million pieces of 5 cent candy with a 1 cent profit on each one I’ll be rich. Also most un processed agricultural products sell for pennies a pound. Think of examples like corn, wheat, or rice. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2000, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustard-and-pepper/24606/4 "2000-07-05T16:46:49Z")
Next time you’re at the store, look at the price per ounce on pepper. Compare to the price per ounce of any other non-spice product. That should answer your question right there.