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
History of saffron the family Iridaceae, native to Greece and Crete. "C. cartwrightianus" is the presumed wild progenitor of the domesticated triploid "Crocus sativus" – the saffron crocus. Saffron is the triploid form of a species found in Eastern Greece, "Crocus cartwrightianus"; it probably appeared first in Crete. An origin in Western or Central Asia, although often suspected, has been disproved by botanical research. Saffron played a significant role in the Greco-Roman pre-classical period bracketed by the 8th century BC and the 3rd century AD. The first known image of saffron in pre-Greek culture is much older and stems from the Bronze Age.