Popular might not be the word. Bananas are popular, I can buy the in virtually every store in the country. Caviar is actually pretty hard to get, so it’s clearly not a thing that very many people like.
I would say that it’s “regarded as good” because it’s exclusive, scarce, and expensive. Like, rich people like it (because they can get it) and therefore it’s good.
I’m not disagreeing with you, just trying to contribute some nuance because I think this is what OP was getting at.
In the same vein that lobsters used to be seen as poor food, bugs of the sea. And now we make them scarce and market it as fancy, selling it as a delicacy
Lobster used to be boiled to the point of being hard and rubbery before being served as poor food. Cooking it to the right texture and serving with butter and other things that make it delicious was a later development.
Same with the less popular tough meat cuts, where specific preparation is needed for it to be delicious BBQ.
It isn’t scarcity or marketing as much as it is specific preparation being necessary before it becomes enjoyable to eat.
Popular might not be the word. Bananas are popular, I can buy the in virtually every store in the country. Caviar is actually pretty hard to get, so it’s clearly not a thing that very many people like.
I would say that it’s “regarded as good” because it’s exclusive, scarce, and expensive. Like, rich people like it (because they can get it) and therefore it’s good.
I’m not disagreeing with you, just trying to contribute some nuance because I think this is what OP was getting at.
In the same vein that lobsters used to be seen as poor food, bugs of the sea. And now we make them scarce and market it as fancy, selling it as a delicacy
Lobster used to be boiled to the point of being hard and rubbery before being served as poor food. Cooking it to the right texture and serving with butter and other things that make it delicious was a later development.
Same with the less popular tough meat cuts, where specific preparation is needed for it to be delicious BBQ.
It isn’t scarcity or marketing as much as it is specific preparation being necessary before it becomes enjoyable to eat.
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