Saffron

Saffron is the slender, dried, flattened Stigma of a small crocus of the iris family.  Often called 'The Golden Spice', Saffron is a culinary and medicinal spice used since time immemorial. 

This bright orange-red strands is an expensive spice appreciated for its delicate, distinctive flavour and striking colour. It has a peculiar, exotic, bitter taste. It is used in special dishes, especially in the preparation of different type of sweets. It is also used in perfumes and dyes.

Expectant mothers drink a solution of saffron and milk in the belief that the beauty and complexion of the baby would markedly improve.

Indian Saffron is cultivated on a large scale in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Saffron holds the distinction of being the world's costliest spice. The yield of Saffron stigmas is quite small. It takes 30,000 to 35,000 hand-picked blooms to obtain just one pound of dried Saffron.