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If you want to know “Why is saffron so expensive?” then you’ve come to the right place.
Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world. People are using it for thousands of years as a dye, medicine, and cooking ingredient. If you’ve ever wondered why saffron is so expensive—and what makes it so special—here are six reasons:
Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world.
Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world, and it’s no wonder why. It comes from a flower that blooms just once a year. The stigmas (the part of the flower that holds pollen) and harvested manually and then sun dry them before being flavor dishes or make medicines.
People are using saffron for centuries as an herbal remedy for everything from stomach aches to depression, however its mostly popular as a culinary ingredient. Some chefs believe saffron adds more flavor than even gold leaf when sprinkled over rice during cooking!
It comes from a flower that blooms just once a year.
Saffron is made from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus flower, which blooms just once a year. It takes about 70,000 flowers to make one pound of saffron. That’s why this spice is so expensive!
In many recipes and medicines, saffron has been used for centuries to add unique taste and color to dishes like paella or rice pilafs, as well as soups and sauces such as bouillabaisse or béchamel sauce.
The best saffron comes from Iran, where the climate and soil are perfect for growing it.
Saffron is growing in a few places worldwide—Bulgaria, Spain, Kashmir, and Iran, to be exact—but Iran is the best place to grow saffron. Iranians are so good at developing it that they’ve been exporting their crop for centuries.
Harvesting saffron by hand is time-consuming work.
Saffron harvesting is a labor-intensive process. It takes about 75,000 flowers to make 1 pound of saffron, and the flowers are harvest manually. The stigmas are then removed from the flowers and dried before ground into powder.
People have used saffron for thousands of years for its medicinal properties, as well as its unique taste and color.
You’ve probably heard of saffron’s culinary uses, but did you know that people have used it for medicinal purposes for thousands of years? The ancient Greeks and Romans used saffron to treat depression and anxiety. The phytochemicals in saffron are main cause of the same effects as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is often prescribed today for treatment for clinical depression.
Menstrual problems like cramps can be treated with saffron because it contains compounds that act as pain relievers. It is also thought to regulate digestion and has anti-cancer properties when ingested orally or applied topically on skin cancer lesions! If you’re suffering from toothaches, as I have been recently, then one teaspoon of ground-up dried stigmas from handpicked Crocus sativus flowers will end those aches fast enough!
Conclusion
Saffron is a fantastic spice that has been used for thousands of years. It’s also one of the most expensive spices in the world, and there are many reasons why it’s so costly.