Saffron is the slender, dried, reddish-brown, flattened stigma of a small crocus of the iris family. It has a characteristic aromatic odour and a peculiar, exotic, bitter taste. Often called 'The Golden Spice', saffron has a history rooted in antiquity. It has always held a very special place for its extraordinary medicinal and flavouring properties as well as for being a striking yellow dye. Ancient Romans strew saffron on the floors of public meeting places to scent the air. Indian saffron is cultivated on a large scale in the Jammu & Kashmir valley whose cool dry climate and rich soil with excellent drainage and organic content make the location an ideal thriving ground for this spice. By every standard, Indian saffron is considered superior to its foreign counterparts. The yield of saffron stigmas is quite small. It takes almost 100,000 hand-picked blooms to obtain just one Kilogram of dried saffron!. No wonder then that saffron holds the distinction of being the world's costliest spice.