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 (trade) Saffron (trade) In the context of trade, saffron is one of the world's most expensive spices by weight, saffron consists of stigmas plucked from the vegetatively propagated and sterile "Crocus sativus", known popularly as the saffron crocus. The resulting dried "threads" are distinguished by their bitter taste, hay-like fragrance, and slight metallic notes. The saffron crocus is unknown in the wild; its most likely precursor, "Crocus cartwrightianus", originated in Crete or Central Asia; The saffron crocus is native to Southwest Asia, and was first cultivated in the area now known as Greece. "Saffron, for example, was once less regarded than