Most Expensive Food on Earth: Rare Spice That Costs a Whopping $10,000 per Pound [PHOTOS, SURPRISING FACTS!]

The most expensive food in the world isn't what most people would expect. The rare spice, surprisingly comes from a purple flowers in selected places around the world. The tag price - around $10,000 a pound.

The most expensive food on Earth is called Saffron, and the spice is taken from a sea of purple flowers that grow in rare places around the globe, including India and Iran.

The spice, saffron, is harvested for one week each year by hand as they come from the stigmas of the purple flower, Crocus sativus Linnaeus, according to Food Beast.

Here are a few surprising facts about Saffron, the most expensive food in the world:

•  The purple flowers where Saffron comes from only bloom in areaswhich have extreme climates - hot and dry summers, and cold winters. Since the flowers only grow in selected climates, they are extremelyhigh-maintenance, the flowersand yields are hit or miss.

•  Iran is one of the few select countries to produce the Saffron spice. A major producer of saffron, the country reportedly supplies95% of its demand worldwide.

•  India is also one of the few countries where Saffron thrive. A place in India called Kashmir is the only place in the country where the flower where Saffron is taken from can be found. Because of this, Kashmir is popular for its high-quality saffron.

•  In order to make a gram of the orange-yellow spice, it takes about 150 flowers.

•  According toMashable, the orange-yellow Saffron spice cost around $2,000 to $10,000 a pound.

•  Each flower, also called saffron crocus, makes three stamens, which can only be picked by hand, making its harvest very tedious. Despite the time-consuming process, it has not changed since ancient times.
•  In the kitchen, Saffron is used as a spice, a yellow food coloring or for flavoring.

•  The most common dishes where Saffron is used include Persian, Indian, European and Turkish cuisines. It is popularly usedin the Spain's traditional paella dishes, as well as Northern Italy's risottos.

•  Saffron is also used in perfumes and dye for cloth.

•  TheCrocus sativus Linnaeus, or the Rose of Saffron, belongs to the Iridaceae family. It contains red stigmas and yellow stamens. In order to yield a single pound of yellow spice, 75,000 Saffron flowers are needed.

•  Saffron flowers are alsoused in medicine for illnesses such as asthma, coughs, insomnia as well as cancer.