FAQs

What is pure saffron?
Being world's most expensive spices, pure saffron has an extensive history of adulteration. It can be easily mixed with extraneous substances like beet, pomegranate fibers, red-dyed silk fibers, or the saffron crocus's tasteless and odorless yellow stamens. Pure saffron consists of only the stigma of Crocus flower with no additions.

What is potent saffron?
The potency of saffron comes with the red portion of the stigma and not the yellow portion, which is usually found in the lower grade. It is referred to the strong aroma, bitter flavor and strong coloring capacity of the stigma. A sample of saffron can be pure, but not necessarily potent. Saffron with yellow portion of stigma is less potent than the same amount of saffron composed entirely of the red portions of the Crocus stigma.

What are the signs of good quality saffron?
Good quality saffron is one, which has a powerful coloring capacity and a pleasant aroma. The coloring capacity of the saffron comes from the red portion of the stigma and not the yellow portion at the base, which is left uncut in lower grade. Therefore good saffron has a long, distinct and completely bright red stigma. The next criterion for identification of good quality saffron is its aroma. Old saffron looses its pungent aroma and sometimes it has no aroma at all. Hence a fresh and good quality saffron has a pleasant aroma.

Please note that it does not mean that any pure saffron strand with some yellow in it is not decent saffron. It is just not as potent as saffron that is completely red. In fact, some people prefer saffron with yellow.

What makes saffron so expensive?
Saffron is a very precious spice because it belongs to a very rare species of plant variety found only in a handful of geographic regions. Also, it is labor intensive crop having very low yield per acre of land. Only 5-7 pounds of saffron is harvested from each acre of land.

Which region of the world has best saffron?
Kashmir is blessed with perfect condition for saffron cultivation and it produces the most potent saffron in the world. The saffron from this region is considered to be the best for its long silky threads with a dark red color. It has a pleasant aroma and its powerful coloring and flavoring capabilities. It is the most expensive saffron available in the market.

How to use saffron?
Because saffron has an intense flavor and strong dying properties, very little amount of saffron is required for culinary purposes. It can be crushed to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle. Powdered saffron is added directly to the required ingredients of a dish.

In order to get the most out of saffron, it should be soaked in a little warm water for 10 minutes before being added to food at the last stage of cooking. This is effective and easy way to enhance the flavor, aroma and color of the food.

How to store saffron?
Saffron must be stored in a cool dark place. It is customary to wrap saffron in foil and place in a tin or jar with a tight fitting lid.

Since saffron is one of the most expensive spice, its adulteration is also very rampant. So, it is always advisable to purchase saffron from a reliable shop and be particularly careful when buying powdered saffron, as it can be “cut” or “diluted” with turmeric or other additives.

One must take into consideration the following parameters while buying saffron:

• Stigma should be bright red with not a single trace of white or yellow part
• The length of stigma should be not less than 1 inch
• Threads must be dry and brittle to the touch
• Aroma should be strong and fresh, never musty
• Always purchase in small quantities (0.5 or 1 gram) at a time if it is not used frequently
• Since the potency of saffron depends upon its variety and the place of origin, it is better to use it either as directed in the recipe or the quantity will depend upon its variety.

Always store saffron in a cool dry place and away from bright light. Do not expose saffron to moisture.

The level of saffron freshness is critical to its quality. It is always advisable to use saffron within first two years of production. Good quality saffron has strong coloring capabilities and aroma, while the color of saffron is the perfect indicator of its flavour.

Do not buy powdered saffron unless you trust your supplier. This is simply because powdered saffron can be very easily adulterated and you will have no idea about that. Also as compared to threads, powdered saffron has a short shelf life and loses flavor rapidly.

If you need powdered saffron, it is always advisable to grind saffron threads to a fine powder. For frequent use of powdered saffron, buying a mortar and pestle is highly recommended. In case of difficulty in grinding saffron due to its moisture content, add a pinch of sugar grains to it before grinding. This will make the grinding easier without having any adverse effect on the recipe.

In powdered form, add 3-5 teaspoons of warm or boiling water to it and leave it to infuse for about 5-10 minutes. This is referred to as liquid saffron and can be stored in a jar for few weeks