So Expensive – Saffron Powder and its Uses

Saffron as a food has overtaken the world’s other expensive food varieties, like caviar, truffles, and balsamic vinegar (the original.) It is sold for about $2,000 – $10,000 a pound, depending on the location and quality. It has a long history, and is revered in all parts of the world for its properties. Since it is such a coveted crop, it now has duplicates and adulterated copies available everywhere.

Saffron Powder

Powdered form or strands of red, saffron needs an explanation for its exorbitant cost. The part of the saffron plant that is made into italian saffron powder is made from the stamens of the crocus, which is a very exclusive flower. It grows well only in very specific climates, and needs a certain kind of land to grow on. This flower blooms only for one week in the year, and each flower gives only about 3 stamens. These have to be necessarily picked by hand, very delicately, and then dried carefully.

To make a single gram of saffron, over 150 flowers may be needed and have to be tended to very carefully, which calls for a lot of human labour. While there are cheaper varieties available, pure saffron seldom goes below a certain high price point.

To buy saffron powder, one must know its distinct aroma and flavours. It can transform a dish with its delicate yet present flavour. Buying saffron powder online is okay, as long as it is a small quantity bought from a reliable source.

Buy Saffron Powder

When it comes to actually purchasing saffron, it is important to beware of the artificial stuff. It is never cheap – so if it looks like it is suspiciously cheap, it probably isn’t saffron at all. Real saffron threads are even in size and very fine; they have a flute-like shape on one end and a yellow tendril on the other side. Fraudulent saffron threads on the other hand have uneven, coarse, bark-like textures, with no yellow tendrils connected to it. This also smells like it is coated with chemicals, whereas real saffron has a delicate, yet distinct aroma that is hard to miss.

Depending on which part of the world it is being bought at, it can look different and definitely would cost different.

Saffron from Iran has a deep red colour and a spicy, musky aroma. This kind of saffron is hard to come by, as it is very difficult to cultivate and there are trade restrictions in place.

A good alternative to this superior variety is the Spanish saffron, also famous for its aroma, taste, and distinctive colour. This too, is strictly regulated.

Real Deal vs Fake Threads

Real saffron is supposed to turn a warm, water bright yellow colour when it is soaked in warm water. Saffron powder loses flavor at a quicker rate as compared to threads, and so should be handled carefully and used quickly. To cjec for the authenticity of italian saffron powder, one can take some threads of the same variety and place them in some warm water. In a minute, the water turns a bright yellow, and the threads continue to retain their shape.

If the threads fray upn wetting, and the water turns into a murky colour instead of a bright yellow, the saffron is not real.

How to Use Saffron

Saffron works wonderfully well on rice dishes, no surprise there as the yellow-red tint it leaves on the rice grain, and the aroma mixed with that of freshly steamed rice is a thing of pleasure. It is therefore used very commonly with rice dishes all over the world – biryani, risotto, paellas, and pilafs.

The smallest pinch can add brilliant color, flavour and aroma to these grains. It is also popularly used in desserts, often alongside vanilla essence. Vanilla and saffron share the properties of being heady, musky and sweet.

Specialty spice merchants shops are good places to buy saffron powder online.