Saffron Crocus

Saffron crocus sativus is the world’s most expensive spice in terms of weight.In both antiquity and modern times, mostly saffron was and is used in the preparation of food and drink. Cultures spread across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas value the red threads for use in such items as baked foods, curries, and liquor.

Saffron History

Saffron-based pigments have been found in 5000 year-old depictions of prehistoric places in northwest Iran. Ancient Persians cultivated Persian saffron in Derbena, Isfahan, and Khorasan by the10th century BC. At such sites, saffron threads were woven into textiles, ritually offered to divinities, and used in dyes, perfumes, medicines, and body washes.

Throughout saffron’s global journeys, Persia known today as Iran has long been a significant source of high-quality saffron production and export. Saffron is the most favored spice in Iran and the main souvenir from Khorasan province, the world capital of saffron. Recent trade data from several sources indicates that Iran is the number one producer and exporter of saffron worldwide, consistently producing as much as 97% of world output. 

Due to the long experience with its cultivation, and the transfer of methods of growing and harvesting from generation to generation, Iranian saffron has managed to keep its distinctive qualities in comparison with those produced in other regions of the world. See saffron grading

What is saffronSaffron Crocus Flower

Saffron is the threads (stigmas) from the saffron Crocus sativus flower. There are only 3 saffron stigmas (female part) referred to as saffron threads per flower. These threads must be picked by hand so you can understand why it is so prized and expensive. Just consider how many of the feather-light stigmas you actually have to collect in your basket to reach a pound of weight. It takes 80,000 blossoms or 240,000 hand-picked saffron stigmas (almost an acre of flowers) to make a single pound (454 grams), harvesting this precious spice is a back-breaking work which explains why saffron is the world’s most expensive spice.

Saffron World Production

According to statistics in 2009 the amount of saffron production in Iran was 300 tons which constitutes 97% of the world saffron production. The Kashmir region in India produces 6 tons and has particularly high reputation, but due to India’s ban on exporting high quality saffron abroad, it is mostly dedicated to India's self-consumption and is hardly available outside India.

Greek production (5 tons) is located exclusively in Macedonia (Kozani) and controlled by a single cooperative. Azerbaijan produces 3.70 tons, Spain 1 ton, and Morocco produces 0.8 ton. Productions of Italy (Sardinia, Aquila, Cascia) 100 kg; Turkey (Davutobasi, Saffranbulli) 10 kg; France (Gâtinais, Quercy) 4/5 kg and Switzerland (Mund) 1 kg are nearly nominal. Other countries as Portugal produce negligible amounts of saffron.

Major importer countries of Iran’s saffron are The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Spain, Torkmenistan, France and Italy, and 90% of Iran’s saffron exports are in bulk.

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