Saffron comes from Crocus sativus, a purple-flowered plant that produces three crimson stigmas inside every bloom.
Those tiny threads are harvested by hand before sunrise to preserve their quality, then separated carefully and dried over several hours.
Roughly 4,000 flowers are needed to produce just one ounce (28g) of saffron, while the plant blooms for just two to four weeks a year, helping explain why it is consistently among the world's costliest spices, often referred to as "red gold".
Saffron comes from Crocus sativus, a purple-flowered plant that produces three crimson stigmas inside every bloom. Those tiny threads are harvested by hand before sunrise to preserve their quality, then separated carefully and dried over several hours. Roughly 4,000 flowers are needed to produce just one ounce (28g) of saffron, while the plant blooms for just two to four weeks a year, helping explain why it is consistently among the world's costliest spices, often referred to as "red gold".
