Red gold
Saffron is the dried stigma of the saffron crocus. Each flower produces only three, and it takes about 150,000 flowers, picked by hand, to make a single kilogram of dried saffron. That is why it is one of the most expensive spices in the world.
Iran produces roughly 90 percent of the world’s saffron, most of it in the province of Khorasan, and the plant is believed to have originated in Iran. Families have grown it for centuries.
The harvest
The flowers open in mid-autumn, usually in October, and the whole crop blooms within a week or two. They are picked at dawn, before the sun wilts them, and the threads are separated out by hand and dried quickly. About 150 flowers make a gram of saffron.
In the kitchen
Persian cooks grind a pinch of threads with a sugar cube, steep it in hot water, and use the golden liquid for rice, tahdig, stews like fesenjan, ice cream and sweets. Saffron rock candy (nabat) is stirred into tea. It is among the most treasured gifts to carry home from Iran.
