There was once a time, not too way back, that spices were a luxury in our world, a luxury so splendrous that wars were declared in their names. While it’s been a couple of hundred years, give or take, since the last spice-sourced bloodshed occurred, one particular spice still remains a luxury within the times – saffron.
Indeed, the swanky spice has been coveted and craved by humankind for quite 3,500 years, a desire that crossed continents, cultures, and dynasties. Saffron, derived from the dried stigmas of the saffron plant, was a reputation bequeathed thereto by the traditional Greeks, with a touch of Hebrew. The plant is unmistakable, blooming into a cup-shaped flower is gorgeous lilac hues.
1. It sells for USD$500-5,000 a pound
It is only natural for one to wonder, what’s so special about saffron that accounts for its stunning wholesale price of US$500-$5,000 per pound? the majority of the rationale is that it actually takes over 80,000 crocus flowers to supply only one pound of the vermilion spice. Furthermore, each plant can only be harvested within a brief time-frame within the Autumn months.
2. it had been discovered in Greece
Saffron is claimed to possess first been discovered on the Greek island of Crete during the Bronze Age, with its first recorded image said to depict the flower being picked by young girls and monkeys.
3. Most of the world’s supply now comes from Iran
Iran is now liable for over 90 percent of the world’s saffron harvest and provide. However, despite the country’s production of the spice, it’s said that the producers in Spain are, in fact, purveyors of products of the simplest quality within the world.