Saffron noted as hay-like and sweet. Saffron also contributes a luminous yellow-orange colouring to foods. Saffron is widely used in Persian, Indian, European, and Arab cuisines. Confectioneries and liquors also often include saffron. Saffron is used in dishes ranging from the jewelled rice and "khoresh" of Iran, the Milanese "risotto" of Italy, the "paella" of Spain, the "bouillabaisse" of France, to the "biryani" with various meat accompaniments in South Asia. One of the most esteemed use for saffron is in the preparation of the "Golden Ham", a precious dry-cured ham made with saffron from San Gimignano. Common saffron substitutes include safflower
Saffron is present as 28% of the Daily Value, while other micronutrients have negligible content (table). One limited meta-analysis concluded that saffron supplementation improved symptoms in people with major depressive disorders. Another review of preliminary human research indicated that it may have effects on mild to moderate depression. The documented history of saffron cultivation spans more than three millennia. The wild precursor of domesticated saffron crocus is probably "Crocus cartwrightianus". If "C. sativus" is a mutant form of "C. cartwrightianus", then it may have emerged by human cultivators selectively breeding specimens for unusually long stigmas in late Bronze Age Crete. It