Saffron is a spice that comes from the dried stigmas of the autumn crocus plant, Crocus sativus, which is native to Greece and Southwest Asia. The plant is a perennial bulb with globular corms that can grow to be 15–20 cm tall. In the summer, the plant goes through a period called “aestivation” and then produces narrow green leaves that can grow up to 40 cm long. In the fall, purple buds appear and in October, the plant produces brightly colored flowers that range from lilac to mauve. Each flower has three crimson stigmas, which are the pollen-receiving structures that are used as a spice and coloring agent. The stigmas are carefully picked by hand with tweezers and then dried and packaged to look like crimson, petal-like trumpets with a delicate yellow tendril.
Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world by weight because it takes about 110,000–170,000 flowers to produce 1 kg. The flowers are fragile and have a short blooming season, so harvesting them is labor intensive. Saffron has a strong, exotic aroma and a bitter taste, and is used to flavor and color many dishes, including rice, fish, breads, and soups. It’s also used in medicine and may contain chemicals that can alter mood, decrease swelling, and act as antioxidants.
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