Editing Saffron (section)

{{short description|Spice made from crocus flowers}}
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{{EngvarB|date=August 2015}}
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[[File:Saffron8.jpg|thumb|Saffron crocus, ''Crocus sativus'', with its vivid crimson stigmas and styles]]
[[File:PISTILLI DI ZAFFERANO.jpg|thumb|Saffron "threads", plucked from crocus flowers and dried]]

'''Saffron''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|æ|f|r|ə|n|,_|-|r|ɒ|n}})<ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster|saffron|access-date=2012-11-21}}</ref> is a spice derived from the flower of ''[[Crocus sativus]]'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson [[stigma (botany)|stigma]] and [[style (botany)|styles]], called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a [[seasoning]] and [[Food coloring|colouring agent]] in food. The saffron crocus was slowly propagated throughout much of Eurasia and was later brought to parts of North Africa, North America, and Oceania.

Saffron's taste and [[iodoform]]-like or [[hay]]-like fragrance result from the [[phytochemical]]s [[picrocrocin]] and [[safranal]].{{Sfn|McGee|2004|p=423}}<ref name="Katzer2010">{{cite web |last=Katzer |first=G. |date=2010 |title=Saffron (''Crocus sativus'' L.) |work=Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages |url=http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com//engl/Croc_sat.html |access-date=1 December 2012}}</ref> It also contains a [[carotenoid]] pigment, [[crocin]], which imparts a rich golden-yellow hue to dishes and textiles. Its quality is graded by the proportion of red stigma to yellow style, varying by region and affecting both potency and value.  As of 2024, [[Iran]] produced some 90% of the world total for saffron.<ref name="menia">{{cite journal |vauthors=Menia M, Iqbal S, Zahida R, Tahir S, Kanth RH, Saad AA, Hussian A |title=Production technology of saffron for enhancing productivity (see PDF)|journal=Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry |date=2018 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=1033–1039 |url=https://www.phytojournal.com/archives?year=2018&vol=7&issue=1&ArticleId=2634 |language=en |issn=2349-8234}}</ref><ref name="hooker">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-41110151|title=The problem for the world's most expensive spice|last=Hooker|first=Lucy|date=13 September 2017|access-date=12 January 2020|language=en-GB}}</ref> At US$5,000 per kg or higher, saffron has long been the world's costliest spice by weight.{{Sfn|Rau|1969|p=53}}{{Sfn|Hill|2004|p=272}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-pics-world-s-costliest-spice-blooms-in-kashmir/20121109.htm|title=World's COSTLIEST spice blooms in Kashmir|publisher=[[Rediff]]|access-date=7 January 2013}}</ref>

The [[English language|English]] word saffron likely originates from the [[Old French]] ''safran'', which traces back through [[Latin]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] to the word ''zarparān'', meaning “gold strung.” It is a [[Sterility (physiology)|sterile]], human-propagated, [[autumn]]-flowering plant descended from wild relatives in the eastern [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], cultivated for its fragrant purple [[Flower|flowers]] and valuable red stigmas in sunny, [[temperate climates]]. Saffron is primarily used as a culinary [[spice]] and natural [[colourant]], with additional historical uses in [[traditional medicine]], [[dyeing]], [[Perfume|perfumery]], and [[Ritual|religious rituals]].

Saffron likely originated in or near [[Greece]], [[Iran]], or [[Mesopotamia]]. It has been cultivated and traded for over 3,500 years across [[Eurasia]], spreading through [[Asia]] via [[Cultural diplomacy|cultural exchange]] and [[conquest]]. [[History of saffron|Its recorded history]] is attested in a 7th-century BC [[Assyria]]n botanical treatise.{{Sfn|Russo|Dreher|Mathre|2003|p=6}}