"A gram of saffron is like a gram of gold," I overheard while visiting winery and organic farm Fattoria Poggio Alloro in Tuscany, Italy. If you've ever passed by the Mediterranean spice in the store and cringed at the high price, you know that statement is not far off. I've always shied away from buying it for recipes that call for a few threads of saffron, like paella and risotto, but after learning some background about the flavorful spice at that Italian farm, I've changed the way I think about it and cook with it. Here are the three simple reasons it's so expensive — and worth it.