Test for Pure Saffron Quality

being such an expensive spice it is often faked by dying threads red colour and there is an easy way to check this, add ice cold water to the filaments and see that on adding that no sudden rush of red fills the water, this will just be red paint immediately running out of the fake filaments. What to look for in real saffron is a yellowish gold colour slowly is released from the filament, within a second this will start to happen in the ice cold water, it will gradually make the entire water a golden orange colour, you can see here in this video a great way to test for pure saffron so you can have more detailed knowledge from watching this useful practical. The strongest cut in Iran is called sargol saffron and this is the tip 3mm of the filament which is all red, no orange from the mid section simply pure red where the highest concentration of chemicals naturally occur in this part of the flower. here is a trusted UK based online shop where to buy saffron safely.

Iranian Saffron

Iran is producer of 80% of the World’s saffron supply and has since ancient history been the central point of the cultivation of the “crocus sativus” saffron crocus flower from which this unique and highly valuable spice comes from, it has such a value it is said to be the red gold of Iran. Its price is due to scarcity and also due to the fact that it takes 150,000 flowers to yield just 1 Kilogram of dried saffron. Most of the flower is disguarded and only the 3 filaments are taken from the flower which are red at the tip, orange in the middle and yellow at the base eventually becoming white. The maximum concentration of active naturally present compounds are in the red tips of the saffron spice filament and this cut is called Sargol giving you all red top 3mm of the saffron filament which is the most powerful for flavour and for colour power.

The uses include medicine, dyeing fabrics, cosmetics, cookery and aromatherapy. The most common use of saffron spice is in cookery and it is enjoyed by hundreds of millions of peoples of the globe daily especially across India and Asia where it is used to spice a wide variety of dishes. It also is a well noted cooking addition in countries like Morocco, Spain and Italy. Spain is a producer of saffron notably in the Mancha region of Southern Spain where the finest quality saffron in the Spanish country originates. Many debate the attributes of Spanish saffron versus Iranian saffron, however most chefs globally prefer Iranian for its higher strength and flavour, however as with all such things it really is a matter of personal choice and I am sure to say many Spanish chefs will use Spanish saffrons to spice their paellas with. Visit a UK spice shop selling Spanish and Iranian spices.