EXPERT ARTICLE

Secrets of Saffron; Worlds’ Most Expensive Spice

When people think of saffron, frequently they think of India along with Spain. Although both countries have a long tradition of cooking with the spice, saffron is not native to either country and was introduced by conquerors – the Moors in Spain and the ancient Persians in India (Crowther). Given that saffron was first grown in ancient Persia, due to human trade, it has spread to Abruzzo in Italy, La Mancha in Spain, Pampore in Kashmir and most importantly, a wide swathe around the city of Mashad in Iran (Reshii). Today, 90-93% of the world’s saffron crop comes from Iran, the rest come from Greece, Italy, Morocco, Afghanistan, and Kashmir (Hooker). Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigmas and styles, called threads, are collected and dried to be used mainly as a seasoning and coloring agent in food (Wikipedia).

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Buying Saffron

There is no getting around the fact that buying saffron is a lot like buying illicit drugs. The concerns for purity and potency are the same, as are where it is grown and how it is processed. You may also have to go through some trial and error before you find a reliable and steady supplier.

Saffron is not widely used in America in part because of culture, but also because it is such a strange substance. Saffron, unlike any other spice, can’t just be used straight from the jar. With each new batch you buy, you may want to check its potency to gauge how much you should use in recipes. Potency changes from crop to crop and year to year, and there is absolutely nothing so off-putting as too much saffron in a dish. That said, there is also no other spice that will add so much flavor and beauty to a recipe, and it is well worth a little work to learn to use it properly.

The first thing to do is to buy good saffron. It is a pretty safe bet that you won’t find it among the spice jars at your local supermarket. If you do, beware – it may have been sitting on the shelf for a very long time under less-than-ideal conditions. Even if it hasn’t, the price will be ridiculous for what will probably be very few threads. Your best bet is to seek out specialty food stores or ethnic markets in your area. In predominantly Persian, Indian and Arab neighborhoods are sure to have stores that sell saffron, and it will be fresher and less expensive than anywhere else. The internet is another good source, and I have listed a couple of trustworthy sites below.

A handful of countries are currently exporting saffron, and although all of it comes from the saffron crocus, growing conditions and production values fluctuate so greatly that the taste varies from country to country. Spanish saffron is generally a little more mellow than saffron from Italy. Kashmiri saffron is intense; Macedonian Greek saffron will knock your socks off; Persian (Iranian) -if you can find it- smells and tastes like the mother lode. In recent years, what some would call boutique crops have come on the market – some from old fields of France, Switzerland, and England. Some farmers around the United States have been taken with fancy idea of planting their own saffron fields. I wouldn’t shun any of these so long as they’re pure. I have seen some Spanish labeled saffron being sold at Trader Joes markets here in America at a cheap price and I would not recommend them.

It’s very hard to look at saffron in a box and know whether or not it’s pure. Certainly, the threads should be red with very little yellow stamen mixed in with the lot. Sometimes –but not often enough– the package carries the International Standard Organization (ISO) rating for the crop’s coloring strength (which is the best way to figure the threads potency). Many saffron experts suggest you ask the merchant what the ISO rating is for the saffron they sell (Bird). My recommendation is to search for local markets, try a couple of different brands, and stick with the merchants that seem to have the best. Luckily, I don’t have to go through the process of finding and buying saffron as my mom always brings me the best saffron from the most reliable source when she visits from Iran.

Cost

Saffron is expensive, but its taste is worth the price. Saffron is one of the most precious spices in the world, retailing for more than $500 an ounce if it is the pure authentic kind. It is an extremely labor-intensive crop. Coming from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus, it takes 75,000 blossoms or 225,000 hand-picked stigmas to make a single pound which explains why it is the world’s most expensive spice (Blume).

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Storing

Mass-produced saffron usually comes wrapped up like a Christmas present, complete with a ribbon or golden cord held in place by an official looking seal. Smaller crops may come in little plastic pouches and should be poured into glass jars with secure lids as soon as possible to ensure that they stay fresh. Saffron stored away from heat and light, in as airtight a container as possible should retain its potency for several years.

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Cooking with Saffron

If you have never cooked with saffron before, start out with something simple, like a Persian, Indian, or an Italian rice dish. Indian cooks use saffron in many dishes, but they add only a few threads because they are using it for its coloring. As a Persian cook, I use a generous pinch, for a balance of flavor and color. Sometimes I think to myself that I am wasting the saffron maybe because I never had to pay for it with my own money and it was always gifted to me, but then realize I still would use the same generous amount because it just tastes so good that I can’t be stingy with it. My favorite Persian dish to make, is Tahcheen, as pictured below. This is a dish that I learned to make from my mom. Tahcheen is primarily consisting of rice, yogurt, saffron. This dish is composed of two different parts: The thick Tahdig part which includes the chicken fillets, saffron, and other ingredients at the bottom of the cooking pot and the second part which is the white rice. I hope one day everyone can taste Saffron in their cuisine.