The small saffron threads look delicate, downright fragile. At the mere sight, one would never know what intensity the aroma of this oriental preciousness unfolds. With a few threads, you gild your food with saffron. Especially in oriental cuisine, saffron is used for seasoning, dyeing and refining. In the world of professional chefs, saffron has also become indispensable in European cuisine today. On this page you will learn more about the history, origin and the difference between the different varieties.
Saffron (Arabic/Persian: “the yellow”) is today one of the most appreciated plants in the world and was already cultivated by the ancient Persians. The spice saffron is extracted from the flowers of the crocus species “Crocus sativus” – which belongs to the family of the iridaceae iris family. Crocus flowers can only be harvested in autumn each year – and only for a flowering period of about two weeks. The only thing that matters is the three scars that can be found in each flower. Only these stamp threads are used dried as saffron spice.
Um – in pure handicraft! – to obtain about one kilogram of saffron, you need about 150,000 flowers. Each picker can harvest a maximum of between 60 and 80 grams of saffron per day. For these reasons, too, saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world.
This plant species is a triploid mutant of the Crocus cartwrightianus, native to the Aegean islands. Because of the triple chromosome set, it is infertile and can only be propagated vegetatively by the division of tubers.
Saffron is grown in many countries around the world. In addition to Spain, Morocco, India and Pakistan, this is mainly Iran, which harvests 85% of the world’s saffron harvest.
The mild climate in Iran, especially in southern Khorasan, is ideal for cultivation. This is why the highest quality saffron comes from this area, which is imported directly into Europe by Fine Food Royal directly as Saffron Sargol and the exclusive Saffron Negin.
Iran harvests 85% of global saffron harvest
Although quality as well as beauty are in the eye of the beholder, there are four characteristics that describe saffron uniformly (ISO Standard 3632).
In addition to these parameters, other indicators, such as non-organic components (e.g. saffron ash), are also assessed.
The Iranian saffron – with the highest dyeing force – is classified in level 1 and thus corresponds to the highest quality rating.
Crosin (dyeing force) Classification according to ISO 3632
Saffron adds an incomparable bitter-bitter aroma to each dish, if properly dosed. The crocin contained in saffron colours the food in the typical saffron yellow (“Saffron makes the cake gel”)
Saffron is best known for its oriental cuisine. Here it is used in every household – for seasoning, dyeing or refining. In the meantime, the noble spice has also entered the Mediterranean cuisine and has also become indispensable for European star restaurants.
The incomparable harmony of taste with the addition of some threads of the Orient is indispensable in risottos, fish dishes and seafood. In order to preserve the aromatic fragrance and the taste experience, it is recommended to soak the saffron threads in a little warm water for a few minutes and add the liquid only towards the end of the cooking time of the dish.
White saffron (Persian: “Konj”) consists of the remains of the saffron threads after the sargol saffron has been selected. Its stamp threads therefore have only yellow and white components. Its field of application is mostly decorative purposes.
Dasteh-Saffron consists of a bundle of stempfel threads. This does not remove the yellow and white part. It is the simplest form of saffron and therefore also the cheapest.
The threads are about 5 mm long and consist of its red, yellow and white components. A distinction is made between two processing steps.
Single-way processing or two-way processing.
In disposable processing, the same colour portions are always placed on top of each other. This gives you a bunch of saffron that is red on one side and white on the other.
The preferred two-way processing is characterized by the fact that the stamp threads are each aligned opposite and somewhat offset. This results in a bundle that shows red on each side.
It is part of the quality standard 4.
Poushal saffron consists mainly of the red (1-3mm) and yellow components of the stamp threads. The white components have been removed accordingly. It is therefore higher quality and more expensive than the Dasteh saffron.