Saffron is a very expensive spice, used to flavour and colour food. Saffron originated in the Middle East, but is now also associated with Greek, Indian and Spanish cuisines. The spice is actually the dried stigma (tiny threadlike strands) of the Crocus Sativus Linneaus, a member of the iris family. Each stigma is very small, and innumerable strands go into a one-gram pack of the spice. Since the stigmas are hand-plucked from the individual flowers, saffron’s high cost becomes more understandable.