Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives. WTFact Britannica shares some saffron aioli the most bizarre facts we can find.

In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions. In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions. Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more. While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today. Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians. We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning. Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.

Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Saffron has a strong, exotic aroma and a bitter taste and is used to colour and flavour many Mediterranean and Asian dishes, particularly rice and fish, and English, Scandinavian, and Balkan breads. Believed native to the Mediterranean area, Asia Minor, and Iran, the saffron crocus has long been cultivated in Iran and Kashmir and is supposed to have been introduced into Cathay by the Mongol invasion.

A golden-coloured, water-soluble fabric dye was distilled from saffron stigmas in India in ancient times. The dye has been used for royal garments in several cultures. Saffron is named among the sweet-smelling herbs in Song of Solomon 4:14. The streets of Rome were sprinkled with saffron when Nero made his entry into the city. This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn. Axe content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure factually accurate information. With strict editorial sourcing guidelines, we only link to academic research institutions, reputable media sites and, when research is available, medically peer-reviewed studies.