Savory Ingredient Spotlight: Saffron

From the stigma of the beautiful purple saffron crocus flower, saffron may possible be the world’s most romantic, desired, and expensive spice. What makes it so coveted? Difficult to cultivate, and grown only in region specific altitudes and regions, it takes from 70,000 to 250,000 flowers to produce one pound of saffron spice. The flowers are only fully open once a year in autumn, and must be hand picked and harvested during this small window of time.

From the fields of Italy, Greece, Switzerland, France, Spain, and Iran, saffron in history is know for it’s medicinal healing powers, as a medium and paint dye for artist’s paintings, as a makeup for Cleopatra, and ancient fragrant perfume. Alexander the Great was known to have used the magical spice to heal his troops battle wounds. Saffron has even provoked a 14 week long war in the 1300’s, provoked by a theft of a large shipment of the precious spice en route from Rhodes (Greece) to Northern Europe.

Saffron, continued to be cherished and coveted herb in the culinary world today, is used in cooking a multitude of recipes, from rice, paella, soups tea, and pastries, . The flavor? Described as haylike and slightly bitter, many culinary experts and chefs are at a loss for words when pressed to describe it. The reddish gold threads may be used in their entirety as threads, or ground at home, or bought as a powder. There are known stories of adulterated, unpure saffron on the market, both it thread and in powder form, so it is strongly advised to buy from a reputable source.

Watch the video as Margaret Rohmeder, a Swiss saffron expert, discusses the flower and the harvest.

Here are a few chef recipes featuring saffron to inspire you:

Dungeness Crab Cake with Saffron Aioli from SF chef Marc Dommen

Saffron Risotto from chef Anna Venturi

Saffron Shrimp-Leek Soup from chefs Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró

Saffron Lasagnetta with Lobster Sauce from chef Mark Militello

If you have any favorite saffron recipes to share, please let us know in the comments below.