A key ingredient in bouillabaisse and paella, saffron has the reputation of being the most expensive spice by weight in the world. The stigma of a little purple perennial crocus flower, it must be gathered by hand during a harvest that lasts just a couple of weeks in the fall, and there are only three stigmas per blossom. It takes about 75,000 flowers to yield a pound of saffron. Fortunately, a pinch (about 20 threads) is usually all it takes to impart saffron's distinctive yellow color and vaguely metallic, dried alfalfa hay and bittersweet wildflower-honey flavor. Saffron is featured in persian, Spanish and Indian cooking; it's often a major component of curry powders Except Iran and Spain, Greece, Morocco, and Italy also harvest and use saffron, too.
