Strange trade-offs
Pepsi for tomato paste, sticky rice for aircraft and mackerel for puffins are just some of the weirdest examples of barter, a system you may think had died out centuries ago. The reality is barter has remained surprisingly prevalent for all sorts of reasons, from a way of getting around trade and currency embargoes to a means for countries and organisations lacking hard cash to acquire goods and services. Looking back over recent history, we reveal the most peculiar countertrade deals ever.
7 January 2020