🇸🇦 Arabicar
زعفران
za'farān
Khorasan, Iran
Iranian Saffron
90
% of world saffron
harvested in Khorasan, northeastern Iran
170
flowers per gram
of dried Crocus sativus stigmas
3
stigmas per flower
hand-picked before 8 a.m. each dawn
250
hours of labour
to produce 1 kg of premium saffron
Visual atlas
Profile
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent in food. Saffron crocus was slowly propagated throughout much of Eurasia and later brought to parts of North Africa, North America, and Oceania.
Iranian saffron — the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus — is grown mostly in Khorasan-Razavi, the cool high-altitude province around Mashhad that supplies more than 90% of the world's output. Each flower yields three crimson threads, hand-plucked at dawn within hours of blooming; producing one kilo requires 150,000 to 200,000 flowers. Iranian Sargol and Negin grades — all-red, no yellow style — carry the highest concentrations of safranal, picrocrocin and crocin, the molecules behind its hay-honey aroma, bitter edge and intense gold color. Iranian saffron anchors Persian chelow, jeweled rice, tahchin and saffron rock candy.
Process
01Sep–Oct
Corms planted
Dormant saffron corms are planted 15 cm deep in Khorasan's semi-arid soil, just before the autumn rains arrive.
02Oct–Nov, dawn
The 2-week bloom
Crocus sativus flowers open at first light and wilt by noon. The entire harvest window lasts barely 15 days.
03Same morning
Stigma separation
Three scarlet stigmas are pinched from each flower by hand. Done indoors, immediately, before they lose moisture.
04Hours 1–3
Toasting
Stigmas are dried over low charcoal heat or in metal sieves at 40–45°C for under 30 minutes. Colour deepens to crimson.
05Your kitchen
Blooming the threads
Steep 5–6 threads in 2 tbsp warm water for 20 minutes. Add liquid, not threads, to the dish — colour and flavour release fully.
Inside the berry
The molecules that make it taste like Kampot — and not like anything else.
What the lab sees: crocin (color) above 230, picrocrocin (bitter taste) above 80, safranal (aroma) 30–45 — the highest values measurable for natural saffron.
230+
Crocin (E1%/1cm)
440 nm · ISO 3632 Cat. I
80+
Picrocrocin
257 nm · taste intensity
35
Safranal
330 nm · aroma index
150g
stigmas / kg dry
≈ 165 000 hand-picked flowers
Volatile compound profile
- Crocin (digentiobiosyl crocetin)28.0%
No smell — water-soluble carotenoid that paints the dish gold.
- Picrocrocin4.2%
Bitter, hay-like — the bite under the gold.
- Safranal0.5%
Sweet hay, leather, honey — the released aroma during drying.
- Crocetin0.4%
Color precursor — bioactive carotenoid acid.
- Kaempferol0.1%
Flavonoid — bitter modulator, antioxidant.
Versus other peppers
| Pepper | Piperine | Oil |
|---|---|---|
★ Iranian Sargol Khorasan · stigma-only | 230 | 35 |
Spanish La Mancha Castilla–La Mancha · PDO | 210 | 28 |
Kashmiri Mongra Pampore · darkest red, scarce | 245 | 32 |
Greek Krokos Kozanis Macedonia · PDO, balanced | 220 | 30 |
Moroccan Taliouine High Atlas · earthy notes | 190 | 25 |
Cuisines
How the world cooks with it.
5 signature dishes
Saffron is the soul of Persian cuisine — bloomed in hot water and ice, drizzled over rice and stews like edible gold.
- Chelow zaferanigrade: sargol
Steamed basmati with a saffron-stained crown layer poured over the white grain.
- Tahchingrade: sargol
Saffron-yogurt-rice cake with chicken — golden crust, custardy center.
- Khoresh-e gheimehgrade: negin
Yellow split-pea stew with lamb, dried lime, and a final bloom of saffron.
- Sholeh zardgrade: sargol
Saffron-rose rice pudding for Ashura — finished with cinnamon and pistachio.
- Bastani sonnatigrade: sargol
Persian saffron-rosewater ice cream with frozen cream chips.
Around the world
What it's called, from Phnom Penh to Palermo.
CAca
Safrà iranià
🇨🇳 Chinesezh
藏红花
Zànghónghuā
🇳🇱 Dutchnl
Iraanse saffraan
🇬🇧 Englishen
Iranian Saffron
🇫🇷 Frenchfr
Safran iranien
🇩🇪 Germande
Iranischer Safran
🇮🇱 Hebrewhe
זעפרן איראני
za'afran irani
🇮🇳 Hindihi
केसर
Kesar
🇮🇹 Italianit
Zafferano iraniano
🇯🇵 Japaneseja
サフラン
Safuran
🇰🇷 Koreanko
사프란
Sapeuran
🇮🇷 Persianfa
زعفران
za'farān
🇵🇹 Portuguesept
Açafrão iraniano
🇷🇺 Russianru
Иранский шафран
Iranskij shafran
🇪🇸 Spanishes
Azafrán iraní
🇹🇭 Thaith
หญ้าฝรั่น
Yafarang
🇹🇷 Turkishtr
İran Safranı
🇵🇰 Urduur
زعفران
zafrān
🇻🇳 Vietnamesevi
Nghệ tây Iran
Pairings
Protein
- Bouillabaisse
- Monkfish tagine
Plant
- Risotto Milanese
Sweet
- Bastani sonnati
- White chocolate panna cotta
Drink
- Dry white wine
Substitutes
- Spanish Saffron85% match· soon
- Turmeric20% match· soon
- Sumac15% match· soon
Frequent questions
The Khorasan plateau — centred on Qaen and Gonabad — delivers 90 % of global saffron output. The arid climate with cold nights concentrates crocin and safranal to ISO Grade 1 levels: crocin above 250, safranal between 20–50, picrocrocin above 70. Spanish La Mancha saffron is excellent but typically grades slightly lower on crocin content.