Saffron

Crocus sativus · kesar · zafran

Threads of a flower, weighed like gold.

What it is

Saffron is the dried red stigma of a particular crocus — three threads per flower, picked by hand. It takes many thousands of flowers to make a small weight of spice, which is why it is the most expensive spice in the world. Steeped, it gives a golden colour, a honeyed hay aroma, and a faint bitterness.

Where it comes from

The crocus is grown in a handful of places with the right dry autumn — Iran produces most of the world’s saffron; Kashmir’s Pampore fields and parts of Spain are the other renowned sources. Kashmiri saffron is prized for its deep colour and scent.

What it's called

Saffron · kesar (Hindi) · zafran. Botanically Crocus sativus.

In the kitchen

A pinch is plenty. Bloom the threads in a little warm milk, water or ghee to draw out colour and aroma, then use liquid and threads both — in biryani, in Mughal sweets and milk puddings, in the perfumed rice of a feast. Powdered saffron is easy to adulterate; threads let you see what you bought.

What we know about the claims

Saffron’s compounds — crocin, safranal, picrocrocin — are studied, with some interest in mood; the evidence is early and the quantities in cooking are tiny. Enjoy it as a flavour and a colour, not a treatment. Because it is costly, it is heavily faked — the real caution here is authenticity, not health.

Choosing and buying

Buy whole threads, deep red with little yellow, from a trusted grocer or spice merchant (UK and US); a gram lasts a long time. Kashmiri and Iranian threads are the benchmarks.