Saffron (Crocus sativus)

Known for imparting strength, saffron is the most expensive and most healing of the spices. Saffron belongs to the Iris family and is actually the female organ of the saffron crocus flower. Since it takes 150,000 flowers to produce a single kilogram of dried saffron, it is easily the most expensive spice in the world. It probably first appeared in Crete and Ancient Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago. The Greeks considered saffron to be the essence of youth and life. It is coveted for its beauty, aroma and healing powers.

Saffron (“Red Gold”) is derived from the Saffron Crocus Flower species Crocus Sativus, which belongs to the Iris Family Iridaceae. The parts used for culinary purposes are the stigma or style: the central yellow threads which are, in fact, the female sexual organs of the flower. As there are very few stigma in any one flower, it takes 150,000 stigma to produce one kilogram of dried Saffron, making it the most expensive spice in the world.

Saffron probably first appeared in Crete, Greece. An origin in Western or Central Asia has been disproved by botanical research and there is evidence that it was used in Ancient Mesopotamia (now Iraq) over 5,000 years ago. As Saffron is the triploid form of a species found in Eastern Greece, Crocus Cartwrigthianus, this would prove very ancient trade between the Eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia.

The Ebers Papyrus (Ca 1550 BC) mentioned it as an ingredient in remedies for kidney problems and is well documented in the Bhavprakash Nikhantu, the Ayurvedic Bible, which is as old as the Indian culture, for healing a variety of diseases. The Greeks considered Saffron to be the essence of youth and life, while the Ancient Chinese attributed Saffron with considerable medicinal properties and drank it as a tea for almost any ailment.

Saffron, an exotic and elaborately extracted spice, has been in global demand for centuries. Highly coveted for its beauty, aroma, healing powers and overall appeal, Saffron is known to be the most luxurious spice in the world. Although many may typically think of Saffron as a Spanish or Indian love affair, Pat Willard aptly prefaces her book, Secrets of Saffron: The Vagabond Life of the World’s Most Seductive Spice, with a not-so-well-known fact: “Although both countries have a long tradition of cooking with the spice, it is not a native to either and was introduced by conquerors—the Moors in Spain and the ancient Persians in India.”

Saffron accentuates myth, magic, medicine, and meals with its legendary “roots” that can be traced back through history and into story. From the cradle of civilization to Cleopatra’s courts, from Sumerian and Persian kingdoms to Greek and Biblical divinity, from the Near and Far East to the European and American West—Saffron appears everywhere, both in trade and in tale.