Flavor: Grassy/Bitter/Honeyed
Major Flavour Compound: Picrocrocin
Parts Used: Flower stigmas
Saffron (Crocus sativus) is the world’s most expensive spice, made from the hand-harvested dried stigmas of a crocus flower, with thousands of blooms required for a small yield. Its flavor is grassy, honeyed, and slightly bitter, shaped by picrocrocin (taste), safranal (aroma), and crocin (golden color). Valued since the Bronze Age, saffron spread across Persia, the Mediterranean, and Asia, and today Iran dominates global production. Its compounds dissolve best in water, so strands are typically soaked before use. Employed sparingly, saffron adds distinctive color and refined depth to rice, seafood, and celebratory dishes.
