Saffron Crocus is a truly stunning flower. The Crocus is one of my favorite flower forms, and the Crocus sativus is one of the most beautiful. It is also, though, a flower with a unique history.
As you probably know, the spice Saffron is made from the dried stigma and style of the Saffron Crocus flower. Saffron is often cited as the most expensive spice in the world, and it’s not hard to believe if you check out prices at the grocery store. Unlike many expensive spices, Saffron is not so expensive because of the difficulty of growing it or a very limited growing range. Rather, it’s because each flower produces a very small amount of the spice.
Saffron is also valuable as an ingredient in many traditional medicines, including some to treat melancholy, going back thousands of years. I don’t know how effective it is as a remedy, but I can say that it’s difficult to keep an ill humor going in the face of good Saffron-laden food. Saffron is used as a very high-end dye as well, prized for its uniform and rich golden-yellow hue. Buddhist monks in some parts of the world have dyed their robes saffron since the death of the Buddha (the gold of the Dalai Lama’s robes is saffron), though all but a very few groups use much less expensive substitutes, such as turmeric.
In cooking, Saffron is associated with many different regional cuisines. In many parts of the world it is also used to lightly aromatize wine, chocolates, and tea. It is entirely possible that much of Saffron’s tremendous value is simply because it is percieved to be so valuable. However, it has been so valued for thousands of years. Wars have been fought for control of this brilliant yellow powder, and now you can simply grow your own at home.