Saffron Mancha 1g box
Consists of the three stigmas of the saffron crocus. They are delicate and thread-like, measuring 2.5 - 4 cm. The crocus stigmas are graded according to flavour, aroma and colouring power. Saffron is strongly perfumed, with the scent of honey.Our Mancha grade is the finest quality.
The reason saffron is the highest-priced of spices is because of the intensive hand labor required to cultivate and harvest it. It is the stigma of a small purple crocus flower; it takes about an acre of land and 75,000 flowers to yield one pound of saffron. Each flower blooms for only about one week of the year, during which the stigmas must be hand-picked and dried.
Saffron is used in Mediterranean and Asian cuisines. Its most common function is to colour rice yellow, as in festive Indian pilaus, where it adds adds its distinctive flavour and colouring. It also combines well with fish and seafood.
Saffron should be rehydrated in a small amount of warm water and then added to your dish, or it can be lightly toasted in a dry frying pan, ground and then sprinkled in.
Saffron is prized by cooks. Musky, pungent and mildly bitter, it gives taste, colour and fragrance to food. For thousands of years, it has been valued as a cure-all - an aphrodisiac, intoxicant and hangover remedy all in one. First identified in Egyptian scrolls around 7000BC, it has been referred to by all the great writers, from Homer and Pliny through to Virgil and Shakespeare, who mentions it in The Winter's Tale: "I must have saffron for my warden pies." (Wardens were large, hard pears.)
Available in 1 gram boxes.
Culinary UsesSaffron appears in Moorish, Mediterranean and Asian cuisines. Its most common function is to colour rice yellow, as in festive Indian pilaus and risotto Milanese, where its delicate flavour make it the most famous of Italian rice dishes. It combines well with fish and seafood, infamous as a key ingredient of Spanish paella as well as bouillabaisse. In England, saffron is probably best known for its use in Cornish saffron buns where it is paired with dried fruit in a yeast cake.
IngredientsSaffron Threads
Nutrition / Allergen InformationSuitable for vegetarians
Gluten Free
