Saffron (IPA: [ˈsæf.ɹən] / [ˈsæf.ɹɒn]) is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. A C. sativus flower bears three stigmas, each the distal end of a carpel. Together with their styles—stalks connecting stigmas to their host plant—stigmas are dried and used in cooking as a seasoning and colouring agent. Saffron, for decades the world's most expensive spice by weight,[1][2] is native to Southwest Asia.[2][3]
Saffron is marked by a bitter taste and an iodoform- or hay-like fragrance; these result from the chemicals picrocrocin and safranal.[4][5] A carotenoid dye, crocin, allows saffron to impart a rich golden-yellow hue to dishes and textiles. Saffron has further medicinal applications.
The word saffron stems from the Latin word safranum via the 12th-century Old French term safran. Safranum is related to the Italian zafferano and Spanish azafrán.[6] Safranum derives from the Arabic word aṣfar (أَصْفَر), which means "yellow," via the Persian paronymous zaʻfar¨?n (زَعْفَرَان).
