Saffron
(Crocus sativus)
Description
Saffron is made of the whole or ground orange/brown dried stigmas of a bulbous plant that looks like our crocus. The plant grows to be 30-35 cm tall, has small grass-like green leaves and deep purple, funnel-shaped flowers, each with three stigmas. These aromatic, slightly bitter-tasting stigmas contain a bright yellow colourant, which colours dishes yellow. The exceptionally high price of saffron is due to the labour intensity of harvesting it. During harvesting, each flower is picked individually by hand. Then the process of carefully pulling the stigmas – the saffron – from the flowers can begin. The dried stigmas are so light that more than 400,000 flowers need to picked and processed to make up 1 kg of saffron.
Origin
Saffron originally comes from the Mediterranean region. The flower grows best where there is lots of sun and dry, sandy soil. The best quality saffron comes from Spain and Iran.
The first known use of saffron was in 7th century China, where it was used as a drug and a perfume. The Greeks and Romans too were aware of the strong aromatic effect, and used it both as a perfume and in their baths. Medicines were also made of it due to its comforting, reviving effect. Finally, saffron functions as a colourant, colouring both food and cloth yellow.
Did you know?
The name comes from the Arabic “az-za’fran”, which means “yellow”. Because saffron is so expensive, the temptation to falsify it was always there. The German Jobst Findeker could not resist that temptation, and was burnt alive with his fake saffron in 1444. There is no such thing as cheap saffron. If you do come across it, it is almost certainly fake.
Quality
The quality of saffron can be judged by the colour, which should be deep red with as little orange as possible. Saffron should be stored in a dark place, as it is sensitive to light. The flavour should also be strong.
Uses
Saffron is used less today than it used to be. It is used for instance in soups and sauces. If you want to use saffron, be careful how much you use, as a little goes a long way. In Scandinavia, it is used in cake. Other places whose national cuisines feature saffron are France, Spain and South America. Paella and risotto are well-known dishes that contain saffron.