Saffron blooming in my garden in November in Norfolk, Virginia. The corms were collected in Andalucia, Spain.
SAFFRON IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE spice known. One kilogram (2.20 pounds) costs more than US$1000! About 150 saffron flowers are needed to produce less than 0.05 ounce (14 grams) of spice. The dried stigmata are known as threads, and 75,000 flowers are needed to produce the threads in 1 pound (454 grams) of the final product. Because of its economic importance, there is extensive literature on the culture, medicinal value, and use of saffron (Fernández and Abdullaev 2004; Kafi et al. 2006). Despite the plant’s ancient use as a spice, it is only mentioned as an ornamental in the Old Testament.
Saffron, Crocus sativus, is a fall-blooming crocus with narrow, grass-like leaves and large, purple flowers that last only one day. The dark red stigmata droop between the corolla lobes, contrasting with the erect, bright-yellow stamens. As with other members of the genus, flowers and leaves are produced from a corm, a bulb-like underground stem. In contrast to most other crocuses, saffron is a sterile triploid (triploids have an unbalanced set of chromosomes that do not allow them to reproduce) so cannot yield seed. Saffron reproduces vigorously by buds from the corm.
This delightfully fragrant flower is referred to only once in the Bible: “Your thighs shelter a paradise of pomegranates with rare spices—henna with nard, nard and saffron, fragrant calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes, and every other lovely spice” (Song of Solomon 4:13–14, NLT). All plants mentioned in this verse are known for their fragrance, though they all have other uses as well. This collection of sensuous plants suggests that saffron was well known in Solomon’s day.
Frequently sold in Middle Easter bazaars under the name zafran, this product is actually the dried flowers of safflower, Carthamus tinctorius. I purchased this zafran in Amman, Jordan.
Crocus flowers ready to be harvested in October, in Andalucia, Spain. The large, drooping, red stigmata are evident. When dried, the dark red threads become the saffron of commerce.
Spain is the largest producer of commercial saffron, mostly from the Andalucia region, where the crop is harvested in October. Plants grow in small plots, less than 0.25 hectare (0.62 acre). Flowers are collected in baskets and taken home, where the threads are removed. Immediately after removal, the stigmata are carefully dried over a cool fire, often charcoal, a process that darkens the color and develops the flavor.
In the spring, corms are planted at a depth of about 2 inches (5 centimeters). Numerous flowers are produced the first year, but the second year is the most productive in terms of flowers. After three years, the corms are dug; the larger corms are discarded and the smaller ones are replanted. In Iran and Kashmir, both important saffron-producing areas, corms are left in the ground for up to 12 years. Due to demand, saffron culture is expanding in such countries as Morocco and Iran.
Visitors to the spice markets in Middle East bazaars have told me what wonderful deals they got on saffron, paying something like US$1 for 1 kilo. The confusion, not entirely undeliberate, comes from applying the Arabic word for saffron, zafran, to the dried flowers of safflower, Carthamus tinctorius. Safflower is better known as a source of healthy cooking oil than for their dried flowers, which are used to color rice. Safflower has little, if any taste, but does impart a kind of saffron color to food, so it is a common plant in home gardens in several Middle Eastern countries.