SAFFRON FLOWER

roshan Comments 0 April 29, 2017 herbal roots, herbs, saffron Saffron Flower

Saffron, golden-colored pungent stigmas (pollen-receiving structures) of the autumn crocus, which are dried and used as a spice to flavor foods and as a dye to color foods and other products. Saffron has a strong exotic aroma and a bitter taste and is used to color and flavor many Mediterranean and Asian dishes, particularly rice and fish, and English, Scandinavian, and Balkan breads. It is an important ingredient in soup.

Saffron is cultivated chiefly in Iran and Kashmir but is also grown in Spain, France, Italy (on the lower spurs of the Apennines Range), and parts of India. A labor-intensive crop, the three stigmas are handpicked from each flower, spread on trays, and dried over charcoal fires for food flavouring, and coloring. A pound (0.45 kg) of saffron represents 75,000 blossoms. Saffron contains 0.5 to 1 percent essential oil, the principal component of which is picrocrocin. The coloring matter is crocin.