Arabs brought the crocus to the Iberian Peninsula. Not because of the pretty pink, violet or yellow flowers that sprout from the bare ground in autumn. The clever gardeners had their eye on the dark red threads inside: The saffron.

Today, Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Aragon and Teruel cultivate around 35,000 kilos of the world's most expensive spice on almost 4,000 hectares.
A particularly good quality comes from Consuegra in the province of Toledo.

The municipality with its white windmills known from Don Quixote is the stage for the saffron festival in October.
Visitors can buy saffron threads, but also tubers for their own cultivation, while listening to music and dancing.

There are dozens of dishes to try - seasoned with saffron, of course.
The highlight of the festival is the battle for the Golden Saffron Rose in Plaza Espana: the winner is the one who pulls the most strings in a set time.