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The Secret History of the World's Priciest Spice

Saffron is as old as time. Cleopatra was said to bathe in saffron-infused mare’s milk before seeing a suitor. “Saffron was used to dye the woolen bolero jackets worn by Minoan women; also in cosmetics, where it was mixed with red ochre, tallow, and beeswax to make lipstick,” says John O’Connell in The Book of Spice: From Anise to Zedoary. Medieval monks found that mixing a primitive glue of egg whites and saffron created a yellow glaze that could stand in for gold in the production of their manuscripts. And I dare you to make a Spanish paella or a Persian pilau without the metallic zing and dayglow yellow punch of saffron. Same for dozens of styles of fish stew, yeasted rolls, cakes, and pies…

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Featured

 How the World’s Most Expensive Spice Is Grown

Its vibrant purple petals notwithstanding, the saffron flower (Crocus sativus) is valued primarily for what hides beneath those petals: tiny, fiery orange stamens that, once plucked and processed, become the world’s most expensive spice, one that adds sweet flavor and deep golden color to dishes as culinarily disparate as Spanish paella, South Asian pulao and Swedish St. Lucia buns.

 Mad About Saffron

It’s the world’s costliest spice for a reason. Just a pinch can elevate even the humblest dish to special-occasion status. ‘IT IS NECESSARY to pick 150,000 crocuses in order to produce one kilogram of saffron,” reads the introduction to Australian poet Judith Beveridge’s “The Saffron Picker.” It underscores a poetic injustice explored in the verse and reminds us why this is the world’s most expensive spice. Crocus sativus is an incandescently blue-violet flower whose fiery orange stigmas, once dried, become the prized spice, with its distinct flavor: floral, astringent, musky.

 The Health Benefits of Saffron

Saffron is generally known as a mood-booster—and not just because of the sunny, golden hue it imparts to food. Numerous clinical studies have explored the spice’s uplifting benefits and found that it does indeed have a mood-lifting effect on mild to moderate forms of depression.

 Why saffron is good for you

Saffron has long been used in traditional healing and research suggests it could become part of mainstream medicine's weaponry.

Articles of Interest

A New Chapter for Saffron

Saffron, an ancient medicinal plant and the most expensive of spices, has always had a magical, addictive power. Cleopatra took saffron-infused baths to enhance her allure. Alexander the Great used it to heal the wounds of battle. Many Iranians believe that in its pure form, saffron works as an antioxidant, an antidepressant and a culinary weapon against Alzheimer’s, cancer and degeneration of the eyes.

Demystifying Saffron: Mark Bittman Explains The Pricey Spice

So what is it? The stringy red spice is actually the dried stigma of a saffron flower. It has a distinct flavor — and turns dishes a distinctly rich, yellow color. (For that reason, it's also used as a dye.) Saffron is most famously used in Bouillabaisse (a French fish stew)...

How Saffron, a Precious Import, Became an American Cash Crop

It’s hard work to harvest, but a growing cadre of small farmers and home gardeners are cultivating the spice for profit, or simply pleasure.

Just Mad About Saffron

Unfortunately, we have sometimes been led to believe that turmeric, because it mimics saffron's color, is an adequate substitute. But though turmeric has many virtues, substituting for saffron is not usually among them, unless you want a bitter, one-dimensional substitute for something grand and complex.

Love Saffron? How to Get Maximum Value From It in Your Kitchen

This spice’s luminous hue and distinctive flavor come at a price. But just a hint will take a dish to another level.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.): As an Antidepressant

Saffron, Crocus sativus (Iridaceae), is a perennial herb, which earned its popularity as both medicine and spice. It is an inhabitant of different mountainous regions of Asia Minor to Greece, Western Asia, Egypt, and India. The benefits of saffron as an antidepressant are well-documented.

Saffron and its active ingredients against human disorders: A literature review on existing clinical evidence

Saffron, the stigmas of Crocus sativus L., has been mentioned extensively in the traditional reference texts as a herbal medicine. Many clinical trials have been conducted on this valuable herbal substance and its main constituents following numerous cellular and animal assessments.

Saffron: A Natural Potent Antioxidant as a Promising Anti-Obesity Drug

Obesity is associated with various diseases, particularly diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis and heart disease. Research on possibilities of herbal extracts and isolated compounds from natural products for treating obesity has an upward trend. Saffron (Crocus Sativus L. Iridaceae) is a source of plant polyphenols/carotenoids, used as important spice and food colorant in different parts of the world. It has also been used in traditional medicine for treatment of different types of illnesses since ancient times.

Saffron: An Old Medicinal Plant and a Potential Novel Functional Food

The spice saffron is made from the dried stigmas of the plant Crocus sativus L. The main use of saffron is in cooking, due to its ability to impart colour, flavour and aroma to foods and beverages. However, from time immemorial it has also been considered a medicinal plant because it possesses therapeutic properties...

Saffron: You Can Have Too Much Of A Good Thing

It is very expensive. So here's the reason. The saffron -saffron comes from a particular flower, a purple flower called the crocus. And it takes 75,000 crocus flowers to make one pound of saffron.

Saffron’s Evolving Place in Modern Medicine - From Tradition to Evidence

Saffron, the world’s most precious spice, is emerging from ancient tradition to modern clinical research as a promising natural agent for mood, memory, and metabolic health, though quality and safety questions remain.

Why the World Is Still Just Mad About Saffron

Saffron has been used for everything from cooking to medicine and aphrodisiacs. Food essayist Bonny Wolf talks with Liane Hansen about the allure of the ultra-expensive spice.

Resources

5 Saffron Benefits For Your Health: The Spice Worth Its Weight in Gold

A spice known for its versatility, saffron benefits have been extensively studied for thousands of years. This golden spice has been referenced considerably in ancient texts for its many uses—from dying clothes to flavoring food to supporting health goals. In fact, its uses are so widespread that saffron is commonly known as the most expensive spice in the world by weight!