Economy of Iran spices including cumin and sumac. Iran is the world's largest producer of saffron, pistachios, honey, berberis and berries and the second largest date producer. Meat and dairy products include lamb, goat meat, beef, poultry, milk, eggs, butter, and cheese. Non-food products include wool, leather, and silk. Forestry products from the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains are economically important. Tree-cutting is strictly controlled by the government, which also runs a reforestation program. Rivers drain into the Caspian Sea and are fished for salmon, carp, trout, pike, and sturgeon that produce caviar, of which Iran is the largest producer. Since the
Saffron which comes from the Latin word , from the Arabic "za'farān", which comes from the Persian word "zarparan" meaning "flower with golden petals". The domesticated saffron crocus, "Crocus sativus", is an autumn-flowering perennial plant unknown in the wild. It probably descends from the eastern Mediterranean autumn-flowering "Crocus cartwrightianus", which is also known as "wild saffron" and originated in Crete or mainland Greece. An origin in Southwest Asia, although often suspected, has been disapproved by botanical research. The saffron crocus probably resulted when "C. cartwrightianus" was subjected to extensive artificial selection by growers seeking longer stigmas. "C. thomasii" and "C. pallasii"