Saffron is the most expensive spice on the planet, selling for somewhere between $10 and $30 a gram in New Zealand.
The hefty price tag is one of the main reasons why it's frequently adulterated: there's a flourishing global business producing fake saffron.
We are approaching the end of New Zealand's saffron harvest, which lasts about two months.
Growing, harvesting and drying the purple, autumn-flowering saffron crocus (crocus sativus) is a labour-intensive business that Graham Strong knows all about.
He grows genuine, high-quality saffron at Wynyard Estate in Roxburgh, Central Otago.
Graham tells us how to cook with it, how to store it and how to know it's genuine.
