Which is the best saffron?

1. What is Saffron ??

Saffron is basically considered as a spice which is derived from a flower whose scientific name is Crocus Sativus. It is a delicate purple coloured flower whose stigmas are dried to extract the spice. It is cultivated once in a year.

Other name of Saffron is Autumn Crocus, Azafrán, Croci Stigma, Crocus Cultivé, Indian Saffron, Kashmira, Kesar, Kumkuma, Saffron Crocus, Safran, Safran Cultivé, Safran Espagnol, Safran des Indes, Safran Véritable, Spanish Saffron, True Saffron, Zafran.

The crimson coloured spice is very valuable and is also known as “Red Gold”. One of the main reason of saying it gold is its high price. You will agree to it if you came to know that it is sold at an average rate of 5$ per gram. Its highest quality is sold at 65$ making it expensive than gold.

Saffron is also famous for its medicinal properties. It is also a colouring agent used in foods.

  2. Origin of Saffron

The origin of Saffron has been always in doubt. Some says it was originated in Kashmir while some says it was originated in Central Asia. If we talk about widely consideration, Iran is considered as the main origin country of Saffron. Other suggested origin countries are Greece and Mesopotamia.  

3. Types of Saffron

There are several types of saffron namely Kashmir Saffron, Iranian Saffron, Spanish Saffron, Greek Saffron, and Italian Saffron. These types of saffron have further classifications: -

• Kashmir Saffron: - “Mongra” and “Lacha” are the two popular types of Kashmiri Saffron. These are very rare due to several climatic conditions with India export ban.

• Iranian Saffron: -  Sargol” (All-Red saffron), “Poushal” and “Dasteh” are three major types of the Iranian Saffron. These all are qualified on the basis of stigma and style of the flower.

• Spanish Saffron: - “Spanish Superior” and “Creme” are the two major types of Spanish saffron. Spanish saffron is very less popular due to its low quality. It contains higher floral waste and  more yellow parts making it less effective and less costly.

• Greek Saffron: - “Red Saffron” is the only type of saffron available in Greece. It is popular due to its high quality color and strong flavour.

• Italian Saffron: - “Aquilla” saffron is one of the most popular and only saffron produced widely in Italy. Major reason of its popularity is high crocin content with pervasive aroma and intensive color.

4.  Kashmiri saffron is superior and how ?

      Kashmiri Saffron is superior due to several reasons: -

• It is the darkest saffron in the world due to its strong flavour, aroma and colouring effect.

• Its availability is very much less in the world; making it very expensive.

• It have the best climatic conditions in the world; with Iran to grow saffron.

• Its strands are thick in size in comparison with other countries spice.

• No country can compare with the fragrance of Kashmiri saffron.

These are one of the strong reasons to believe that Kashmiri saffron is superior to all. It only consists 1/10th of world’s total production as compared to Iran who is the largest producer of the spice (around 90%).

5. Types of Kashmiri saffron

There are two types of saffron basically grown in Kashmir; “Mongra” and “Lacha”. If we talk about the characteristics of each type, then Mongra saffron is made from the broken stigmas of the flower. It is dark red in color and considered as one of the best saffron in the world. It is always huge in demand due to less floral waste and high aromatic nature and flavouring qualities. It holds a great place in Indian kitchens in both forms; i.e. powder and petal form,

whereas

Lacha saffron consists of long and flat dark red threads with some yellow part as its tail of the stigma of Mongra. It also contains floral waste. We can consider it as the discarded or unselected quality of saffron which is a flavouring and coloring agent in many food dishes.

6. Kashmiri Mongra saffron is superior and how ?

Mongra saffron is undoubtedly the best saffron of India and one of the best, demanding in the world. The reasons of its superiority are: -

• It is dark red in color making it highly aromatic in nature.

• It has less floral waste.

• It has high flavouring capabilities.

• It has powerful coloring quality.

• It is made from the broken stigmas of the flower.

7. How to identify fake and original saffron ?

There are several ways through which we can identify which is original saffron and which one is fake. To identify the real saffron, these steps could be followed: -

• Real saffron never tastes sweet. It is always bitter in taste and slightly pungent when a real thread of saffron is placed on the tongue. It is probably fake saffron if it tastes sweet.

• Next step to identify fake saffron is its aroma. Real saffron has a very distinct smell. Fake saffron has no aroma at all. If very less aroma is present in the threads, then we can say that it is of poor quality or not fresh saffron. It smells sweet but it never tastes sweet. Basically, real saffron will have the blend smell of hay, tobacco and honey.

• Moving on the next step, water can be used to identify the fake or real one. If pure saffron is put into the water, the water will turn honey-yellow in color after 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, it will turn into light orange. The water will turn yellow instantly if the saffron is fake. It will also loses its original color while the real saffron never loses its color even after it is kept in water.

• If the thread of saffron is rubbed between wet fingers, then it will leave its color on the fingers. The fingers will be colored with red/orange color. It will also leave a little fat between the fingers when squeezed. This proves that the saffron is genuine and pure.

• The pure saffron will have same color(probably red) with little yellow from the tail. It will not have any other color than that. Fake saffron will have the mixture of marigold flowers which have same texture with yellow threads. No genuine saffron thread cannot have yellow color in whole.

• We can also give a quick try to judge between the pure and fake saffron by looking at their respective prices. The fake ones will be sold at less than average rate.

8. Health benefits of saffron

Antioxidant

It turns out that this popular spice is packed with antioxidants. These compounds are good for us because they keep the body safe from the activity of free radicals. On the other hand, free radicals are compounds that are actually byproducts of the things that enter our bodies.

If we don’t eat food rich in antioxidants and we don’t detoxify our bodies, the free radicals will accumulate in different body parts and lead to the emergence of different diseases and health issues. Thanks to saffron you can prevent and fight off existing free radicals.

Memory improving

There is more than one scientific study that has confirmed that saffron is very helpful in taking care of mental impairment, especially the one caused by aging. It can fight off memory loss, enhance cognitive function and even fight Parkinson’s disease.

Eyesight improving

Although there are just a few studies focused on the relation between saffron consumption and eyesight, the initial results are promising. It looks like saffron is a great option for those who want to slow down or eliminate vision loss that comes as a result of the natural process of aging. It can also help people with macular degeneration.

Helps anxiety and stress sufferers

Many people are using saffron as a way to fight stress. This spice is rich in carotenoids, compounds that can improve the work of the immune system and eventually reduce the stress levels. In addition, saffron also supports dopamine synthesis. As a result of that, people can expect stabilization of their mood, reduction of stress and elimination of anxiety.

Helps against depression

Using pharmaceutical depressants is one way to treat depression. However, many people are avoiding these drugs because they come with a myriad of side effects. You can’t expect side effects from saffron, but you can definitely use it as an efficient natural antidepressant. Saffron is rich in alfa-crocin and safranal, compounds that can manage depression.

Anti-inflammatory

Another reason why you should consider taking saffron is the fact that this spice has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. With the help of these properties, saffron can improve cardiovascular health in people of all ages. It also lowers inflammation in the lungs.

9. Some serving tips:

Saffron employed as a flavoring base and coloring base in both food and drinks in the Mediterranean, and Asian cuisines.

Popularly known as "kesar" in the Indian subcontinent, it has been in use in the preparation rice-pilaf, rice-pudding, "halwa" and other sweet dishes in many Indian, Pakistani, and Cental Asian countries. It is also used as a color and flavoring base in the preparation of kulfi, ice-creams, cakes and drinks.

10. Storage And Selection

Fresh saffron is available in the specialised spice markets. Try to buy whole dried stigma (pistils) instead of powdered saffron since often it may be adulterated. Choose well-sealed container from the authentic selling company label displaying the date of package and expiry.

Fresh spice should feature bright crimson-red color, and when rubbed between fingers, should release a very pleasant aroma and stain golden-yellow.

Look for lengthy stamens, each measuring 2 to 4 cm in length. Avoid inferior quality product featuring gray color streaks or light spots on the stigma.This spice has a unique, pungent bitter-honey taste with a pleasant aroma.

11. Doses of saffron

Despite the fact that saffron is great for our health and an excellent spice too, it is highly recommended to take it responsibly. Taking too much saffron on a daily basis can lead to side effects, something that you can expect from any other spice if you take it in high amounts. According to experts, taking 30 mg a day is the maximum amount of saffron adults should take.

12. Precautions:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Taking saffron by mouth in amounts larger than what is normally found in food is LIKELY UNSAFE. Larger amounts of saffron can make the uterus contract and might cause a miscarriage.

Allergies to Lolium, Olea (includes olive), and Salsola plant species: People who are allergic to these plants might also be allergic to saffron.

Heart conditions: Saffron might affect how fast and how strong the heart beats. Taking large amounts of saffron might worsen some heart conditions.

Saffron might lower blood pressure. Taking saffron might make BP become too low in people with low blood pressure.

Store inside a closed box and keep it in cool dark place (preferably inside the refrigerator) away from the light since light rays oxidize the pigments in saffron and offset its flavor.

12. How to Test Saffron Quality?

There are many people that have read about the amazing benefits of saffron and they want to give this incredible spice a try. Naturally, they are using the Internet to check out what is available. But, when they do this, they are stunned by the number of brands selling this spice online. Of course, every seller/brand claims that their saffron is the best, but some of them are not very honest.

What you should know is that pure saffron is the only form of saffron that can guarantee the numerous health benefits associated with this spice.

13. How to test Saffron for purity?

We will use this article to explain a few different methods of testing saffron purity.

Cold Water Test

Take a few saffron threads and put them in cold water. Both pure and altered saffron will release some of their colors in the water, but the difference is that pure saffron will not release a lot of colors immediately. With pure Saffron you will notice the threads slowly releasing a golden hue. It can take around 10-15 minutes for the cup of water to turn completely yellow.

Another thing to note is that the Saffron threads should not lose their red colors, fake saffron threads will turn white after a short period of time.

Rub the Saffron threads with your fingers

After infusing the Saffron threads in cold water for a few minutes, take a coupe threads and place them on your finger. Rub the threads with two fingers back and forth a few times. Pure Saffron threads will not break apart, whereas fake saffron will fall apart or turn to dust or liquid.

Taste of Saffron

Another way to check the quality of saffron is to place a thread of saffron in the mouth. If you feel a sweet taste, then you are holding fake, low-quality saffron.

A rule of thumb here: Quality Saffron should smell sweet, but never taste Sweet!

Smell it

The smell of Pure Saffron reminds people of a mixture of honey and hay aroma. Sometimes the Saffron can have a pungent (almost chemical) type of smell, this is due to high levels of Safranal and Picrocrocin in the Saffron.

Use baking soda

Finally, you can mix saffron and baking soda in a small cup filled with water. In case the mixture, in the end, is yellow then you are looking at an example of pure saffron

High doses of saffron can act as a uterine stimulant and in severe cases can cause miscarriage. Therefore, pregnant women may be advised to avoid this spice in the diet.

14. Final thoughts:

Those interested in getting the most from saffron should stick to pure saffron. Identifying pure saffron is not difficult and there is more than one way to achieve this goal. Quality saffron has specific properties that every person can notice. Besides the testing methods we have mentioned before, another great way of identifying quality, pure saffron is to look for brands with lab certification. For instance, Dry Fruit Hub Saffron, as one of the most respected brands of saffron today is Lab certified.