About 170,000 saffron flowers are needed to produce 450 grams of saffron , and the process of producing and harvesting saffron is completely done by hand, and that is why its cost is very high. It is not without reason that saffron is called red gold because it is as expensive and valuable as gold .

Usually, saffron is classified in the market in two ways: quantitative (physical) and qualitative, so that the price of saffron can be determined for sale. The amount of stigma and cream used in saffron is very effective in classifying saffron physically, saffron can be classified into six types of saffron, Sargol saffron, Negin saffron, Pushal saffron, white saffron and soft saffron. In some cases, the size of saffron plays a decisive role in its classification, such as Nagin saffron, whose larger forms are called Super Nagin. In classifying saffron based on quality, saffron is tested based on several factors, so that they can determine the quality of saffron based on three key indicators: color, aroma, and taste .

Production of saffron at the present time and saffron producing countries

Saffron flower needs special conditions to grow and it does not grow in every region. Saffron can be produced in areas with hot and dry climates. This flower does not need a lot of watering and grows in low water areas. For this reason, many countries are currently engaged in the production of saffron. Iran, Afghanistan, Spain, India, Greece and Italy are the main saffron production centers in the world .
About 90 to 93 % of saffron production in the world is allocated to Iran, and Iran has the largest volume of saffron production in the world. However, many people , Spainis considered the first saffron production center in the world; Because most of Iran’s saffron is exported to Spain and this country packages and exports them under its own brand name. For this reason, when buying saffron from Spain, many countries think that they have bought saffron from this country .

Currently, Afghanistan, Greece, Morocco, Turkey and India are engaged in the production and cultivation of saffron in the world. China also produces saffron using the greenhouse method. For example, in the last eight years, Afghanistan has been able to claim the title of the highest quality saffron producing country in the world. However, Iran can still be considered the first producer of saffron in the world.

The first rank of saffron production in the world belongs to Iran , the second to India and the third to Afghanistan .

Classification of saffron types

In Iran, saffron production is usually divided into several forms. One of the terms that has been used for a long time in this field is Dokhtarpich saffron . This type of saffron includes stigma and cream part (red part and white or yellow part of saffron), which is also called bunch saffron in Farsi, and abroad it is known as Bunch saffron or Red & They know White (red and white). In fact, the red part in this type of saffron should be between 75-70% and the root or corner is about 25-30% . One of the more recent names that became common later was Sargol saffron, or Sarqalam saffron as it is popularly called, which was produced from a bunch of saffron, in such a way that the yellow parts were separated by cutting them with scissors and then using the static electricity method, and saffron
They obtained a cleaner and completely red, which in English is called All-Red (completely red) and is similar to the saffron called Coupé (cut or cut). Later , the saffrons that are directly separated from the red part (only containing a very small amount of yellow) from the flower were called pushal. prefered. What is certain is that the coloring power and quality of saffron is far lower than other types of saffron, as well as in terms of the drying method because it dries with a delay and actually loses part of its coloring power during the drying process. It has a lower quality .

Contrary to the results of scientific research and analysis, some people think that saffron bunches and even root or kanj have more fragrance. This is completely wrong, because the source of saffron’s effective substances (crocin, picrocrocin and safranal, especially crocin found in the yellow part (corner) of saffron is its stigma, and the mentioned substances have been transferred from the stigma due to movement in the plant tissue. Not only does the yolk itself not have a significant amount of them, but the crocin in it is zero. From the point of view of fragrance, it seems more fragrant only because it can absorb more moisture than the stigma due to the type of plant texture .

Comparison of saffron from Iran, Spain, India and Afghanistan

Among the countries of the world, there are various discussions about the quality of saffron of different countries. Iran has the largest production of saffron in the world. But each of the countries we mentioned (Iran, Spain, India and Afghanistan) have their own markets and even their own saffron. In this part, we try to analyze the saffron of each of these countries more than before .
Due to its extraordinary properties and high price, saffron has attracted the attention of various countries. These days, there are different countries that produce saffron, but there are a few countries whose production level cannot be compared with other countries. Iran, Spain, India and Afghanistan are among these countries that we examine the saffron and saffron market of each of these countries .

Iranian saffron

Iran has the largest amount of saffron production in the world. Almost 90 % of the world’s saffron is produced in Iran. The high production rate of saffron in Iran has made different countries of the world to supply their desired saffron from Iran .
Iranian saffron has a very high variety. Iranians usually divide saffrons based on the presence of roots. Pushal and handle saffron are among the saffrons that you can see the root of in every saffron branch (the saffron root is connected to each saffron branch and not separated) . Separate from the redness of saffron and sell only the redness of saffron . Sargol, Nagin and Super Nagin saffrons are rootless saffrons that have a higher price than rooted saffrons .

Indian saffron

7 % of the world’s saffron is produced in India. The variety of saffron in India and Spain is not the same as the variety of products in Iran, and in these countries there is no difference between rooted and rootless saffron .
The Kashmir region of India is one of the saffron producing regions in the world and is very prominent. Kashmir saffron is known for its coarseness and darkness .
India’s low production rate compared to the demand of Indian saffron customers, makes India use Iranian saffron in addition to its own production in order to meet the needs of its customers .

Spanish saffron

The amount of saffron production in Spain is lower than in Iran, and on the other hand, the cost of labor and agriculture in Iran is lower than in Spain. For these reasons, the price of Spanish saffron is higher than the price of Iranian saffron .
In Spain, saffrons attached to the roots are popular. Because the root of saffron is a proof of the originality of each branch of saffron .
The most famous type of saffron in Spain is Mancha, which you can see below .