Saffron ( /ˈsæfrɒn/) is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to 20–30 cm (8–12 in) and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel.Together with the styles,
or stalks that connect the stigmas to their host plant, the dried
stigmas are used mainly in various cuisines as a seasoning and colouring
agent. Saffron, long among the world's most costly spices by weight, is native to Southwest Asiaand was first cultivated in Greece. As a genetically monomorphic clone, it was slowly propagated throughout much of Eurasia and was later brought to parts of North Africa, North America, and Oceania.
The saffron crocus, unknown in the wild, likely descends from Crocus cartwrightianus, which originated in Crete or Central Asia; C. thomasii and C. pallasii are other possible precursors.The saffron crocus is a triploid
that is "self-incompatible" and male sterile; it undergoes aberrant
meiosis and is hence incapable of independent sexual reproduction—all
propagation is by vegetative multiplication via manual "divide-and-set"
of a starter clone or by interspecific hybridisation.If C. sativus is a mutant form of C. cartwrightianus, then it may have emerged via plant breeding, which would have selected for elongated stigmas, in late Bronze-Age Crete.
Saffron's bitter taste and iodoform- or hay-like fragrance result from the chemicals picrocrocin and safranal. It also contains a carotenoid dye, crocin, which imparts a rich golden-yellow hue to dishes and textiles. Its recorded history is attested in a 7th-century BC Assyrian botanical treatise compiled under Ashurbanipal, and it has been traded and used for over four millennia. Iran now accounts for approximately 90 per cent of the world production of saffron.
Because each flower's stigmas need to be collected by hand and there
are only a few per flower, saffron is the most expensive spice in the
world.
The various saffron crocus cultivars give rise to thread types that
are often regionally distributed and characteristically distinct.
Varieties from Spain, including the tradenames "Spanish Superior" and
"Creme", are generally mellower in colour, flavour, and aroma; they are
graded by government-imposed standards. Italian varieties are slightly
more potent than Spanish; the most intense varieties tend to be Iranian.
Various "boutique" crops are available from New Zealand, France,
Switzerland, England, the United States, and other countries, some of
them organically grown. In the U.S., Pennsylvania Dutch saffron—known
for its "earthy" notes—is marketed in small quantities.
Consumers may regard certain cultivars as "premium" quality. The "Aquila" saffron, or zafferano dell'Aquila,
is defined by high safranal and crocin content, distinctive thread
shape, unusually pungent aroma, and intense colour; it is grown
exclusively on eight hectares in the Navelli Valley of Italy's Abruzzo region, near L'Aquila.
It was first introduced to Italy by a Dominican monk from
Inquisition-era Spain. But the biggest saffron cultivation in Italy is
in San Gavino Monreale,
Sardinia, where it is grown on 40 hectares, representing 60% of Italian
production; it too has unusully high crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal
content. Another is the "Mongra" or "Lacha" saffron of Kashmir (Crocus sativus
'Cashmirianus'), which is among the most difficult for consumers to
obtain. Repeated droughts, blights, and crop failures in the
Indian-controlled areas of Kashmir combine with an Indian export ban to
contribute to its prohibitive overseas prices. Kashmiri saffron is
recognisable by its dark maroon-purple hue; it among the world's
darkest, which hints at strong flavour, aroma, and colourative effect.
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