Saffron: The Origins and Use of The World’s Priciest Spice

Saffron is used to give a golden yellow color to food and adds its distinctive flavor to dishes. Nearly ninety percent of the world’s saffron supply comes from Iran, usually from the Khorasan Province in northeast Iran.

The saffron spice comes from a crocus flower’s stigmas, and the flower only blooms for about a week every year.

What Is Saffron – The Most Expensive Spice In The World

Saffron is known as the most valuable plant in the entire world. Saffron has been grown and harvested for sale in Iran for thousands of years. Since saffron does not need much water to grow and bloom, it perfectly suits Iran’s climate.

Saffron comes from the dried bright orangey-red threads of the flower Crocus sativus. There are several Crocus flowers, but only this one produces saffron.

The gorgeous, purple flower is painstakingly propagated and it can only be harvested by hand. The harvest usually takes place early the first morning it blooms.

Going to all this extent to produce and harvest, justifies the higher the price saffron inflicts on the consumer’s market.

History of Saffron – A Spice Old As Time

Saffron has a long and colorful history. People from Iran like to say that saffron stems from Iran’s history. Knowledge and experience in cultivating saffron have been conveyed and developed from generation to generation.

Saffron was likely first discovered in the Bronze Age, native from Asia, yet it now grows throughout Europe and Asia.

Ancient scripts from Egypt mention Cleopatra bathing in saffron-infused (mare) milk before seeing a suitor. Saffron threads were used for dying jackets worn by Minoan women; for cosmetics, where it was mixed with red ochre, tallow, and beeswax to make lipstick.

In the old ages, saffron was traditionally used for all purposes, from treating heartaches to helping with sexual dysfunction and depression. Once even was prescribed as a cure for bubonic plague.

Where Is The Best Saffron Grown Today?

Iran is currently the biggest saffron producer in the world, with more than ninety percent share of the world’s reserves coming from there. Iran’s production varies from 300 to 400 tons of dry saffron per year.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. representatives says that Iranian saffron is undoubtedly the best saffron in the world.

Why Is Saffron So Expensive: A Labor-Intensive Crop

Just one gram of saffron retails for about  $16 – and for a reason. Almost 170.000 flowers have to reach full bloom so that their corollas can be harvested, and the dark red threads of saffron can be picked out of them.

170.000 Flowers = 100kg Flowers = 1kg Dry Saffron

Saffron’s popularity may have peaked in the Middle Ages as a medicine tool, but its use for taste and coloring food particularly interested people, which is why this feast spiker ended up in Vogue.

Saffron even nowadays evokes affluence and elegance in any dish. Luckily, a tiny bit goes a long way.

What Is Saffron Good For?

Saffron is traditionally used in folk medicine for curing and improving cardiovascular health, and simply for creating joy, mixed in drinks and beverages for its unique aromas.

Many effects, such as being anti-cancerous, benefiting the improvement of memory, libido, etc. have actually been studied and confirmed in saffron.

If you’ll notice, a number of new-age moisturizing creams have saffron in them, since it has been shown to help with clearing the skin and improving pigmentation.

• Pairs well with tea, coffee, and milk
• Saffron makes the perfect snack, especially for on-the-go treats

To extract the true flavor, aroma, and color of the saffron, soak the saffron threads for a minimum of 20 minutes in a hot liquid of your choosing (water, milk, broth, etc).

Pre-soaking allows the flavor, essence, and color of saffron to disperse evenly, in order to be properly used for dishes, drinks, or cosmetical packs, since saffron has become very popular in the beauty industry.

The “Sunshine” Spice That Boosts Good Mood

When it comes to nutrients, saffron spice is very rich in antioxidants, especially rare ones such as crocins.

The essences of saffron are safranal and kaempferol, proven to be helpful with different types of skin inflammations. Since saffron has been used as a mood meliorator, it’s also known as “the sunshine spice”.

Let’s wrap up…

There are only a few spices with history as entertaining and fascinating as saffron, with a rich, cross-cultural heritage.

This golden-red-colored spice played an important role in the daily lives of ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans, eventually earning mentions in the Bible and other sacred texts.

To this day, saffron is an important ingredient of many traditional dishes in some parts of the world, but an exclusivity in others.

At First Knives Club, we believe that, like saffron, every dish tells a fascinating story. Our saffron Rice and Coconut Saffron Sauce are part of our saffron-infused meals that honor this unique spice, creating and nurturing meaningful relationships with different cuisines and food lovers.