Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world! Learn how to use these beautiful red threads in your cooking and how to spot the fake stuff!
What is Saffron?
Saffron is the reddish-orange dried stigmas of the purple crocus flower.
It has a complex scent and flavour that can be difficult to describe... The dried stigmas have a deep woody smell on their own, but they add a sweet earthy scent and flavour when added to food.
Too much saffron can make a dish bitter though, so you generally only need to add a pinch to whatever you're cooking. Which is a good thing, because this spice is very expensive!
Why is Saffron So Expensive?
According to Padma Laskmi's book, The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs, the price of saffron is "close to half of that of gold by weight."
The reason it costs so much is because of two things:
- Each crocus flower only has 3 stigmas
- Each stigmas has to be removed by hand
So as you can imagine, it takes thousands of stigmas to make just a small amount of saffron, and they all of to be painstakingly harvested by hand and then set out to dry either over charcoal or under the sun.
With that in mind, it's no wonder that good quality threads can cost about $10 for just 1 gram! This is one spice you don't want to waste.
How to Spot Fake Saffron:
Speaking about quality - it's important to know how to spot fake saffron.
In the image above I've shown 3 different products that were all labeled as saffron.
The first one and the last one are both good quality - even though they were harvested in different regions. You can get good quality threads that are cultivated in Indian, Spain, and Iran (although people will dispute that one is superior to another).
However, take a look at that pile in the middle.
Although the packaging is labeled as saffron, it is actually something completely different. These stigmas are from the safflower plant, and they are often used to imitate saffron in various ways.
Although the stigmas smell a little bit like saffron, they don't have the complex flavour of the actual spice. They also don't colour food in the same way.
Safflower stigmas are sometimes ground up and mixed with ground saffron to "stretch" the product. This is called adulterating saffron, and it's one of the reasons why you shouldn't buy pre-ground saffron.
The other reason is that ground saffron doesn't retain the same flavour as whole saffron threads, so really you should just avoid that stuff.
Things to Look For When Buying Saffron
When you're buying whole saffron threads, there are a few key things to look for:
- Colour - good quality saffron has a dark red or reddish orange colour.
- Shape - you should be able to see individual threads. The package of safflower stigmas that I have has many large clumps that are still attached together.
- Price - there is no such thing as "cheap" saffron, so if the price seems too good to be true... it probably is!
What is Saffron Used for?
When you think of saffron, you might immediately think of it as an Indian spice. This is partially true, since the spice has been cultivated in India for centuries.
However, you might not know that saffron is also a popular spice in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.
It is also commonly used in Italian risotta alla Milanese, French bouillabaisse, Persian polow rice dishes and Yellow Chartreuse (a French liquer).
When saffron is added to warm liquids, it releases its pretty yellow colour. I use saffron in my Persian Rice with Potato Tahdig recipe to give the rice a beautiful colour and scent.
You can also add saffron threads to dishes whole, or grind them into a powder.
You can try adding it to savoury foods like rice or chicken, or to desserts like custards or cakes.
Where to Buy It:
You can find small packages at most groceries, including Bulk Barn (it's not sold in bulk though).
You can also find saffron at specialty Indian, Caribbean, Iranian, Spanish and Mediterranean stores.
If you prefer to shop online, you can buy it from TheSpiceTrader.ca, SpiceTrekkers.com, or SilkRoadSpices.ca. I haven't shopped from these online stores before, but I know other Canadian bloggers who recommend them.
Some of the best saffron is said to come from La Mancha and Kashmir, but you find good quality options from various regions in India, Spain, and Iran.
To keep this spice fresh, store in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 6 months.
Anush Amirkhanian
As a saffron producer, I shall thank you for bringing awareness and facts about that amazing spice. To produce organic saffron, it's a huge amount of work, as the entire process is done by human hands. The saffron market is very turbulent, the consumer herself/himself must get the knowledge to be able to distinguish the good from the bad. Thanks again for the article.
ebrahim hashemi
best saffron from Iran.
Teguh Is
Expensive, but worth it..
Shareba
True!
martin
I bought saffron from a reliable company in iran and with right price, iranian saffron is perfect.
Alex Frank
First of i would like to appreciate your effort and amazing article which you wrote for peoples helping those don't know anything in deep about saffron which is really helpful for them believe it. My this comment for helping those peoples looking to buy saffron pure so im sharing my experience for helping them to purchase the best :
So, I was also like you confuse to buy saffron from any store near me or from any online store but i was not sure about pure saffron which direct can be imported from farm, so it took me week to find the best for me and yeah pure too, i visited stores of saffron which was near my home in Plantation but failed to find what i wanted, after searching at sunday which was off day of my office I visited to my best friend place, While other discussions I just for idea asked him about saffron buying from any store or from online ordering He told me about acesaffron I was not sure their product will be more helpful and pure as i want, but believe me it was. yeah i went their store in florida Plantation Suite #4 they offered some sample for testing before buying actual there product i was still not sure but after trying their free given sample which was amazing and pure for my experience, I don't know their actual address but you can find their address in their site http://www.acesaffron.com/buy-saffron/
Thanks for reading !
Annika
Such a useful post!
Shareba
Thanks Annika!
Bernice Hill
I've actually had really good luck finding great Saffron at Winners or Homesense!
Thank you for the Saffron primer. Surprisingly I think mostly of Spanish food or Middle Eastern food mostly using Saffron, not Indian. I would like to know what Indian dishes have Saffron in them, do you have any?
Shareba
Oh that's good to know!! It's amazing what you can find at those stores! I'm working on an Iranian rice dish that has saffron right now (should be up later today or tomorrow), and off to the top of my head I've made an Indian dessert with saffron and vermicelli noodles called Seviyan. I'll try to post that soon!