History
The history of saffron cultivation reaches back more than 3,000 years. The wild precursor of domesticated saffron crocus was Crocus cartwrightianus. Human cultivators bred wild specimens by selecting for unusually long stigmas. Thus, a sterile mutant form of C. cartwrightianus, C. sativus, emerged in late Bronze Age Crete. Experts believe saffron was first documented in a 7th century BC Assyrian botanical reference compiled under Ashurbanipal. Since then, documentation of saffron's use over the span of 4,000 years in the treatment of some 90 illnesses has been uncovered. Saffron has been used as a spice and medicine in the Mediterranean region since then, with usage and cultivation slowly spreading to other parts of Eurasia as well as North Africa and North America. In the last several decades, saffron cultivation has spread to Oceania. [1]
Other Ingredient Information
Products containing Saffron
The percentage represents the approximate total number of food products from UPC Food Search's data that contain the ingredient, "Saffron".
The data is calculated from UPC Food Search's product data only, and is not meant to reflect all food products regionally or globally.
Source(s) Derived From |
Plant Sources |
Natural or Artificial? |
Natural |
References |
- Saffron - Wikipedia
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Aliases (Also Known As)
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Saffron Extract
Saffron Powder
Saffron Stamen
Color Key - (Click/Tap to View) 
- Natural
- Natural & Possibly Unsafe
- Artificial
- Artificial & Possibly Unsafe
- Both (Can be derived from Natural & Artificial Sources)
- Both (Can be derived from Natural & Artificial Sources) & Possibly Unsafe
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Revision History
| Action |
User |
Date/Time |
| Ingredient added | UPC Food Search | January 1, 2009 @ 2:14 AM |
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