Saffron, the world’s most expensive spice, is harvested from the stigmas of the autumn-flowering Crocus sativus. Much of the world’s saffron comes from Spain’s La Mancha region. The Saffron Rose Festival held in the town of Consuegra each year celebrates this exotic crop, which must be harvested by hand so that the valuable stigmas are not crumpled. The celebrations include parades and contests, folk dancing, and the crowning of a pageant queen. Costumed characters from Cervantes’s 17th-century novel Don Quixote stroll among the crowds who flock to Consuegra for the fiesta. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary