Spanish Pure Saffron Glass Jar

Spanish Pure Saffron

Spanish Saffron is a spice with beautiful orange-red color and probably the most expensive in the world. This spice comes from a flower, the crocus. More precisely, saffron comes from the dried stigmas of the saffron flower Crocus sativus. It is used as a flavoring and its flavor is slightly bitter, but also as a coloring giving the dishes a characteristic orange color or, to bring an exotic touch. Being so delicate, it requires that it be harvested by hand.Each kilogram of saffron requires approximately 150,000 to 300,000 flowers and 75 to 200 hours of collection. It is then necessary to extract the pistils (or more exactly the stigmas) which concentrate the taste of this spice. To the point that a single gram can enrich a dish for a large table.

Taste and appearance

Spanish Saffron has a bitter taste and gives a very characteristic touch to the foods in which it is used. It acts as an enhancer, enhancing the natural aromas and flavors of what we cook.Saffron, apart from giving color to food, is a flavor enhancer; it brings out all the nuances in a dish and also gives it that authentic touch that no other spice gives it.

Spanish Saffron is characterized by a bitter taste and a scent close to iodoform, or hay, caused by picrocrocin and saffronal. It also contains a carotenoid, crocine, which gives a golden-yellow color to dishes containing saffron. These characteristics make saffron a highly prized condiment for many culinary specialties around the world, especially in Persian cuisine.

Spanish Saffron Properties

Spanish Saffron is obtained from dry stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower pistil, and therefore has a low water content with concentrated nutrients and high protein content. The stigmas must be collected by hand, delicately, so as not to ruin them. Depending on the varieties of bulbs and climates, the flowers are harvested between October and November.It is also rich in fiber and micronutrients, among them potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and also vitamin C and group B vitamins. It has low fats content that is mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, that is, of good nutritional quality.

How to use Spanish saffron in the kitchen

Because it is a spice of intense flavor and color, saffron is usually used as a natural dye for different dishes to which, also, it adds nutrients, flavor, and aroma. Saffron has six gastronomic properties. Renowned for its coloring and aromatic properties, saffron still has four little-known properties: it is an antioxidant, enhancer, harmonizing dynamizer, which gives it a very wide versatility, covering the entire spectrum of human nutrition, as well as very varied culinary effects, which make the use and mastery of this spice sometimes complex and difficult.

Saffron is widely used in Arab, European, Indian, Iranian and Central Asian cuisines. Its aroma is described by cooks and saffron lovers as resembling honey, but with metallic notes. It also contributes to the yellow-orange coloring of the dishes containing it. These characteristics make saffron a spice used in dishes and processes as different as cheeses, sweets, some curries, liqueurs, soups, and meat dishes.

In Spanish cuisine, it is used in many dishes such as paella valenciana, a rice specialty, and zarzuela, a fish-based dish48. Saffron is also used in Côte d'Azur bouillabaisse, a spicy fish soup, Italian risotto alla Milanese and saffron cornea cake.

Saffron is also used in confectionery or in the preparation of alcoholic beverages, which is its main use in Italy. Some alcohols, such as chartreuse, gin, izarra, or Strega, are based, among others, on saffron to obtain a blossoming of color and flavor.

Experienced users crumble and pre-soak the saffron threads for several minutes before adding them to their dishes. This process allows the color and fragrance to be extracted in a liquid phase (water or sherry for example). The solution is then added to the dish before cooking, allowing the saffron's fragrance and color to be well distributed in the dish, especially for baked specialties or thick sauces.

It takes over 200.000 flower heads to produce half a pound of this spice. Spanish Saffron is the finest spice in the world. Hand harvested from the Crocus Sativus flower, this is the absolutely indispensable ingredient in Spanish and Italian cooking. The climate and atmosphere temperatures of the region offers the optimum conditions for the saffron to grow making it unbeatable in aroma, color and taste. With over 1000 years of experience, Spain offers you one of its treasures.

Suggestion: Enjoy this precious spice on Italian risotto rice as well as on the famous Spanish Paella recipe. We recommend 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of saffron threads be added to a recipe that serves 6-8 people. You may add the saffron directly to the dish, or infuse it in warm liquid to release its flavor.

0.03 ounce (1 gram)

Ingredients: 100% pure Spanish saffron

Packaging: Glass Jar

Product of Spain