Saffron (use) the liquid phase; powdered saffron does not require this step. The soaking solution is then added to the hot cooking dish, allowing even colour and flavour distribution, which is critical in preparing baked goods or thick sauces. Threads are a popular condiment for rice in Spain and Iran, India and Pakistan, and other countries. Two examples of such saffron rice is the "zarzuela" fish-seafood stew and "paella valenciana", a piquant rice-meat preparation. It is essential in making the French "bouillabaisse", which is a spicy fish stew from Marseilles, and the Italian "risotto alla milanese". The saffron bun has Swedish and
Trade and use of saffron France, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Turkey (especially Safranbolu), California, and Central Africa. The high cost of saffron is due to the difficulty of manually extracting large numbers of minute stigmas, which are the only part of the crocus with the desired aroma and flavour. An exorbitant number of flowers need to be processed in order to yield marketable amounts of saffron. Obtaining of dry saffron requires the harvesting of some 50,000 flowers, the equivalent of an association football pitch's area of cultivation, or roughly . By another estimate some 75,000 flowers are needed to produce one pound of dry saffron.