Saffron Crocus sativus - Kesar - Saffron crocus Perhaps one of Man's earlier spice 'finds', the flower that produces the stigmas that comprise this highly prized - and priced - spice was represented in Cretan art dating back to 1600BC. In Greek legend, Crocus was a beautiful young man who played a game of quoits in with the messenger god, Mercury. One of the god’s quoits hit Crocus on the head, killing him instantly. His friends grieved for him and where his blood had spilled on the grass, saffron crocuses sprang up. The common name for the spice is derived from the Arabic root assfar, meaning 'yellow', as it was, originally, mainly for the intense yellow colour obtained from the stigmas that this spice was used. The plant is perennial and rarely grows in the wild, and has been cultivated in Europe since the 12th century. From the 14th century up until the early 20th century, the Essex town of Saffron Walden was the English growing centre. Saffron is the most expensive of the spices (over £2 per gram, more than £56 per ounce), due to the fact that each flower yields just three stigma, and, due to the variation in the length of each of them - up to 5cm - it can take anything between 200,000 to 300,000 to make llb in weight; add to that the fact that each stigma must be picked by hand, and it is little wonder that this is the gold of the spice world in more than one sense. Hardly surprising, also, are the recorded instances of criminals being burned or buried alive in 15th century Germany as a punishment for ruining or tampering with saffron crocus crops. Probably because of the cost, giving it strong associations with wealth and power, saffron was attributed with ritual and caste significance, and was used to dye the robes of royalty and holy men and to produce the caste marks worn on the forehead in India, to where it was taken in around the 3rd century AD by the Moghuls. These associations survived its passage across geographical boundaries, with most cultures linking it to fertility and harvest rites, physical strength, sexual and psychic prowess and with royalty. John Gerard, in his book The Herbal, published in 1597, claimed that saffron possessed life-restoring properties and, in 1670, the German scholar, J.F. Hertodt devoted a whole book, Crocologia, to the spice, in which he stated that it will cure both toothache and plague! Saffron was one of the earliest trade spices and was brought into Spain some time during the 10th century, where it was adopted enthusiastically. Nowadays, Spanish saffron, grown in the flat central plains of La Mancha is regarded as being the very finest, and over 70% of the world's saffron now comes from Spain, although it is also grown in Greece, Iran, Morocco, Kashmir and Italy. The ancient Romans used it to tint and scent their bathwater and used saffron-scented oils for massage, introducing it to England during their stay here. The ancient Greeks valued it as much for its subtle honey-scent and earthy flavour as for its colour, and in Medieval Europe, it enjoyed popular use as a hair dye and aphrodisiac amongst the wealthy classes. The saffron stigmas contain three chemical compounds: Picrocrocin, which provides the bitter, earthy flavour; a glycoside, safranal, which gives the spice its characteristic aroma; Crocin, a carotenoid, which releases the intense dye with its ability to colour up to 150,000 times its volume in water. It is this colouring power upon which the quality of a particular variety of saffron is assessed. Mancha Selecto, regarded as the very best, must score a colour factor of at least 180 times the stigmas' weight, although some brands exceed the minimum requirement with ease, and this is reflected in their price. Inferior saffron is coarser, paler and sometimes includes other parts of the flower to pad it out, thus affecting the colouring power and providing a much more bitter taste. Saffron was traditionally used in English cooking in sweet dishes, such as apple and pear pies, custards, creams, syllabubs and the famous Cornish saffron buns and cakes - although many of these products actually contain little or none of this expensive commodity nowadays, having been largely replaced with artificial colourings. Most other cuisines, however, see it in a more savoury light: Italian rissottos, Spanish paellas, French bouillabaisse, and Persian pilaffs all require that little pinch of culinary gold. Nutritionally, saffron has very little to offer. A massive 1 tsp., ground, an amount that no cook would ever envisage using, weighs 7 grams and has an energy value of just 2 kcalories. It contains very little in the way of vitamins - a little B2, and contains sodium, phosphorous, potassium, calcium and iron. However, in spite of its lack of food value, herbalists have long been convinced of its powers as a digestive and appetite stimulant and in Persia, pregnant women traditionally wore a ball of saffron tied around the base of the stomach to ensure an easy delivery.