What is saffron?
Saffron is a spice made from the dried red stigmas of the saffron crocus flower. It gives food a golden color, a honey-like aroma and a slightly bitter taste.
The saffron crocus, Crocus sativus, blooms for only a few weeks each autumn. Each purple flower has three red stigmas that are picked by hand and dried. Iran produces most of the world's saffron, with Spain, India and Greece among other producers.
Saffron has been used for thousands of years in cooking, medicine, perfume and dye. It appears in ancient Minoan wall paintings from Crete and was prized in Persia, Greece and Rome.
Saffron in the kitchen
Cooks usually soak saffron threads in warm water, milk or broth before adding them to a dish, to release their color and flavor. Famous saffron dishes include Spanish paella, Italian risotto alla milanese, French bouillabaisse, Indian biryani and Swedish saffron buns at Christmas.
Did You Know?
Saffron's color comes from a pigment called crocin, and its flavor and scent mainly from compounds called picrocrocin and safranal.