Saffron

spices · flowers · precious

Comes from a flower. Saffron comes from the crimson stigma and styles (the female parts) of the crocus sativus flower, which is a pretty purple crocus that blooms only once a year.

Threads, not powder. The precious red parts are called threads because they look like tiny string. Workers carefully hand-collect and dry them to make the spice you use in cooking.

Colors and flavors food. Just a few saffron threads turn food golden yellow and give it a warm, slightly sweet flavor. Cooks use it in fancy dishes like risotto and paella.

Incredibly expensive. Saffron is the most costly spice in the world because it takes thousands of crocus flowers to make just one pound, and all the threads must be picked by hand.

Spread around the world. The saffron crocus started in Eurasia and slowly traveled to North Africa, North America, and Oceania as people discovered how amazing it was.