Description
Saffron also known as Red gold is a spice that comes from the stigmas of the purple flowers of the plant. Each flower contains three stigmas that are handpicked and then dried to make the saffron spice. The name saffron has its origin in the Arabic word zafaran which means yellow. Botanically wild saffron is known as Crocus cartwrightianus and the commercially cultivated one as, Crocus sativus, which is also the name of the flower.
It is the most expensive spice in the world and a very labour intensive crop. It takes thousands of flowers to produce a few grams of saffron. The stigmas are typically of an orange-red colour, which is due to the content of crocetin, a type of acid and crocin. Saffron is a native of Southern Europe and cultivated in Mediterranean countries, particularly in Spain, Austria, France, Greece, England, Turkey, Iran. In India, it is cultivated in Jammu & Kashmir and in Himachal Pradesh.
