You are here to understand what is saffron, and why is it so expensive? Let’s answer with telling you all about saffron, starting from where saffron originates form, what you can cook with it, and how to recognize real saffron from fake saffron.

History of the most expensive spice and its usage

Becoming the ancient greeks and romans perfume could be the start of saffron’s journey into the history. Chinese people however included saffron in their materia medica that goes way back to the 1550s. nowadays the spice is used as a food coloring herb and a clothing dye. Although being the most expensive spice in the world It’s a must have spice in Middle Eastern, Eastern and European culture being the complementary addition to dishes like French bouillabaisse, Spanish paella, Moroccan tagines.

What is saffron and how harvesting it makes it expensive?

Extracted from the stigmas of crocus sativus, a blooming plant with vibrant purple petals known as the “saffron crocus” or “autumn crocus” in addition to being hand-picked, will result in a costly spice referred as saffron. Once the stigmata have been separated from the plant, they are dried in a semi-arid environment to preserve their color and flavor. They are native to southwest Asia. Iran is now the world’s largest producer of saffron, although the spice is also grown in Afghanistan, Greece, Morocco, and India, among other places. The small amount of saffron spice per plant, along with the fact that harvesting must be done by hand, leads to saffron’s being majorly expensive.

Best way to store your expensive spice and how to use it

A little bit of saffron is all you need for a flavorfull meal, that’s what makes saffron so valuable. You will only need a teaspoon or less to add color and flavor to your dishes. Describing saffron’s taste is fairly difficult, being bright, sweet and slightly earthy with a distinct floral scent. Could be best to say it’s honeyed sweetness, with footprints of dried flowers or fresh hay. a helpful tip is to buy saffron threads over ground saffron (powder) because it is easier to mix other substances to ground saffron which is hard to distinguish.best way to store saffron is in a glass container, away from light and in a cold place. The freezer is also a choice for extending your saffron’s shelf life. Now that you are ready to use saffron, we recommend grinding a pinch of the threads until you have a fine powder. Then to get the best color and flavor of your saffron, transfer it into a bowl and add about 3 tablespoons of cold water, stir together and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Health Benefits of Saffron

It does not summarize in just being a dye to your foods and beverages. The health benefits of saffron are generally known to be astounding. Having a long history of medical use, Saffron is a powerful source of antioxidants, which protect your cells against free radicals and oxidative stress, The spice is also believed to improve sleep quality, possibly because of the soothing magnesium it contains.

Cooking With Saffron

Add this super expensive spice but amazing natural flavor, into recipes for main dishes, desserts, and soups. ·  Persian Saffron Rice (Tahchin): With its perfectly golden crust and the bright yellow rice inside, tachin is a dish that’s stunning to behold. ·  Saffron Yogurt Chicken Kebabs: Highlight the Mediterranean influence that saffron adds to a dish with this yogurt marinade, which makes a quick and delicious grilled chicken. ·  Saffron Milk Cake: Saffron milk cake is light, fluffy, and incredibly moist – so moist that it’s bordering on juicy. · Sholeh Zard (Persian Saffron Rice Pudding) : It has a thick, pudding-like consistency, a bold yellow color, and a delicate, sweet aroma that makes the whole thing irresistible. ·  Saffron-and-Orange-Scented Seafood Stew: Saffron is a common ingredient in paella. This seafood stew alternative combines shrimp, white fish, clams, and mussels into a savory white wine sauce. Saffron has wide applications and its production and processing method is completely manual and very difficult. Each of these cases has an effect on the saffron price. Queen of flowers always tries to provide the best and highest quality saffron for buyers and supply them at reasonable prices.