Saffron – The Topic

[Hassouni]

I'm a serious devotee of Iranian saffron, and stock up whenever I'm in the Middle East, having bought it from Iranian merchants in Beirut and Dubai. The best stuff is called sargol (literally head/top of the flower), and is just the dark red tips of the threads. I use it in chicken marinades, in some chicken stews and north African-inspired tagine-type dishes, and in rice whenever I make it in the Iraqi/Iranian style - either plain, only when guests are over, or in more elaborate polow dishes (which I only know the Persian names of) - my favorite is zereshk polow, made with barberries (zereshk) and almonds cooked in butter and sugar which are sprinkled atop the rice. I've also put it in cardamom-flavored rice pudding - saffron and cardamom go exceedingly well together. I've used it before in red meat dishes, but I find the flavor gets lost. That being said, since my access to Iranian merchants is limited, I don't use very much at a time. I infused vodka with it once for a party, but the bitter, metallic tastes others have mentioned really get drawn out too much. Sure smells nice though....I think the smell of saffron is far more significant than its taste, especially when the smell of it on rice wafts through the air.

[budrichard]

Based on this thread(no pun intended) I just ordered an once from Saffron.com.

All my other sources including Penzy's had become too expensive and we have been without for about two years but the eaters have been complaining.

Hopefully the quality is good!-Dick

[Hassouni]

It appears saffron.com is now selling Afghan saffron. I've never heard of this - if it's from NW Afghanistan, then thats a geo-cultural continuation of NE Iran, where the best saffron is grown - so maybe it's good?

[TheCulinaryLibrary]

Saffron cream sauce with ricotta or feta gnocchi,is great. Ditch the new addition of potato to your gnocchi, which destroys its soft-pillow like texture. The ancient Roman army invented gnocchi. So go back to the basics with just eggs, flour and mushy fermented soft cheese. For the sauce, just add infused saffron to a light bechamel + cream ( = Classic Cream sauce). Fresh French tarragon is subtle enough to add depth but not to interfere with the saffron.

[Jaymes]

Last night made a recipe that I received from a contingent of Iranian fighter pilots that we entertained in our home (obviously, this was several decades back, during the time of the Shah). It calls for 2 tsp of saffron: Rice and Lamb in Yogurt Sauce

This is a dish I've prepared quite a number of times over the years, and we all love it. But I spent $20 on saffron alone. I see that several of you have ordered from saffron.com. I'm wondering if anyone else has found a less-expensive source. Has anyone had any luck at all growing it?

Edited December 6, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[weinoo]

Bumping this up, as I'm thinking of ordering from Sahar Saffron. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with their product.

They sell a wide range of saffrons and have a nice, easy to navigate site.

Is there currently a restriction on buying/importing Iranian saffron?

[budrichard]

The saffron (One ounce) that I purchased from saffron.com was the finest I have ever used!

The guy is an absolute fanatic about saffron and how to use it. He has detailed instructions.

Me, I just take a pinch, crumple between my fingers and add when I am ready, simple, great aroma. taste and color.

An ounce goes a looooong way.-Dick

Edited December 27, 2012 by budrichard (log)

[liuzhou]

A lot of "Spanish saffron" is fake too.

http://madridman.com/blog-madrid/2011/02/fake-spanish-saffron-buyer-beware/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9384000/9384962.stm

[sparrowgrass]

I have purchased from saffron.com as well, and it was very tasty.

[patrickamory]

Just purchased 2 grams of Afghani from saffron.com (the about page goes on and on about Iranian saffron, but they don't seem to actually have any for sale).

Will report back on how it compares to our very good Spanish (or "Spanish"?) saffron.

[weinoo]

Just received my order from Sahar Saffron. Came with a gift of the Greek stuff. Looking forward to playing around...

[Nyleve Baar]

I'll be off to India next week. Any saffrony advice for shopping there? I've bought - online - Kashmiri saffron but wasn't overly fond of it. Smelled to me like perfume, not saffron. Maybe it just wasn't good stuff.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Nyleve Baar (log)

[GlorifiedRice]

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/4mof58/what_20000_of_pure_persian_saffron_looks_like/

 

^^^^^ What $20,000 of pure Persian Saffron looks like