Ingredients
The world's most precious spice is still gathered by hand, one flower at a time.
Muslim Edit5 min read
Each autumn, for a few short weeks, crocus flowers open across saffron-growing fields. Pickers gather them early in the morning before the petals fully unfold.
Then comes the delicate part: separating the three red stigmas from each flower by hand. It takes an enormous number of flowers to make a small quantity of spice.
That labour explains the price, and also the care with which saffron is used — steeped in warm water, added to rice, sweets and stews for colour and fragrance.
For cooks, a few threads carry a whole landscape. For growers, the harvest is a season of long days and shared work.
