Why Saffron Is One of the World's Most Expensive Spices

Level 2 Level 3
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Saffron is a spice used in cooking worldwide. It's also used for making perfume and dyeing clothes. Did you know it's one of the most expensive spices? It can cost $3,000 for just one kilogram! Why is it so pricey? Well, saffron can only grow in a few places, and even there, it's not easy to cultivate.

The spice comes from the center of a purple flower called Crocus sativus. Harvesting saffron threads from these flowers is tough because they are delicate and need to be picked by hand, taking a lot of time and effort. Each flower only has three saffron threads, and you might need up to 150,000 flowers to get one kilogram of saffron.

Saffron has been popular for a very long time. In the 14th century, there was even a "Saffron War" because merchants were getting rich and powerful from selling saffron, which upset the aristocracy.

Questions

1- What is saffron used for besides cooking?

2- Why is saffron so expensive?

3- Where does saffron come from?

Congratulations!

You have completed the comprehension questions. 

Parts of this lesson are based on: An article by Engoo Daily News.