The Spice That Once Cost as Much as Gold

This spice used to be worth its weight in gold. Send this to someone who loves cooking. Saffron comes from one small purple flower, the crocus. Inside each flower are three thin red threads, and only those delicate threads are ever used.

Dette krydderi var engang sin vægt værd i guld. Send dette til en der elsker at lave mad. Safran kommer fra én lille lilla blomst, krokus. Inde i hver blomst er der tre tynde røde tråde, og kun de sarte tråde bliver nogensinde brugt.

Workers must pick every thread by hand, early in the morning before the flowers open in the sun. It takes tens of thousands of flowers to make just one pound of saffron. For most of history, that pound of dried threads cost about the same as a pound of gold.

Arbejdere skal plukke hver tråd med hånden, tidligt om morgenen før blomsterne åbner sig i solen. Det kræver titusindvis af blomster for at lave bare et pund safran. Gennem det meste af historien kostede det pund tørrede tråde omtrent det samme som et pund guld.

Today gold costs much more than saffron, but saffron remains the most expensive spice in any kitchen in the world. A single pinch can change the color and the taste of a whole pot of rice.

I dag koster guld meget mere end safran, men safran er stadig det dyreste krydderi i ethvert køkken i verden. En enkelt knivspids kan ændre farven og smagen på en hel gryde ris.