Saffron Wonder

Reputably the most expensive spice in the world by weight, saffron spice is the dried red threads of the crocus flower, crocussativus. A number of adjectives have been applied to the bouquet and flavour of this exotic spice; i.e earthy, sharp, pungent bitter honey taste, pleasantly bitter, hay-like and sweet, slightly metallic notes tasting of the sea, flowery essence, perfumey ….. It is used to flavour and colour food; as a dyestuff and it contains plant derived components known to have anti-oxidant, disease preventing and health promoting qualities. The philosopher, Francis Bacon wrote of saffron, “It maketh the English sprightly”.

Saffron likes to grow in full sun and in free draining soils. Picking and processing of saffron is done by hand, due to the delicate nature of the flowers. The three stigmas of each flower are plucked from the flower and dried.. Moisture and heat are needed to rehydrate the saffron threads. This releases their full flavour and disperses their vivid colour. It takes 150 flowers to make up a gram of saffron. Fortunately a little goes a long way – just a pinch is all that is all you need. In fact in large doses Saffron can be toxic.