The market · Spices · The Middle East, Southern Europe, South Asia

Saffron

The dried stigmas of a crocus, three to a flower, picked by hand — honeyed, hay-like, and dyes a dish gold.

honeyed · floral · hay-like

What to do with it

Classics built on it
KashmiriKahwaGreen tea brewed with saffron, cardamom and cinnamon, sweetened and poured over slivered almonds.No one here has made it yetKashmiriModur pulavRice cooked in ghee and milk with saffron, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom, studded with dried fruit and nuts.No one here has made it yetRajasthaniGhevarA lacy, honeycombed disc of batter fried in ghee, soaked in syrup and often topped with rabri and nuts.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianHyderabadi biryaniMarinated goat or chicken layered raw under half-cooked basmati, with saffron, fried onion and mint, then sealed and cooked slowly on dum.No one here has made it yetPersianTahdigThe golden crust of rice fried at the bottom of the pot and turned out whole — the part everyone reaches for first.No one here has made it yetPersianJoojeh kababPieces of chicken marinated in saffron, lemon and onion, grilled over charcoal and eaten with rice and a charred tomato.No one here has made it yetPersianZereshk poloSaffron rice scattered with barberries fried in butter and a little sugar — jewel-red and sharp — usually served with chicken.No one here has made it yetCatalanSuquet de peixA fishermen's stew of white fish and potatoes in a saffron-tinted broth, thickened at the end with a picada of garlic, almonds and fried bread.No one here has made it yetValencianPaella valencianaRice cooked in a thin layer in a wide, shallow pan with chicken, rabbit, flat green beans, butter beans and saffron.No one here has made it yetValencianFideuàShort, thin noodles cooked like a paella in a wide pan, in a strong fish stock with prawns and squid, until they curl up and crisp on top.No one here has made it yetValencianArròs al fornRice baked in a wide earthenware dish with chickpeas, pork, blood sausage, potato and tomato, with a whole head of garlic in the middle.No one here has made it yetAsturianFabada asturianaLarge, buttery white beans stewed slowly with smoked chorizo, morcilla and pork belly until the broth thickens.No one here has made it yetAsturianFabes con almejasLarge white Asturian beans cooked slowly and finished with clams, which open in the pot and season it with the sea.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Iranian
Most of the world's crop.
Spanish (La Mancha)
The saffron of paella.
Kashmiri
Deep red, prized, scarce.

If you can't find it

Small packets; buy threads, not powder.

No real swap

Nothing else. Turmeric gives colour, not saffron — leave it pale rather than fake it.

Goes with

ricefishbutterrose water

Knowing it

Where to buy
Iranian and Spanish shops, in threads rather than powder, which is easy to cut with something cheaper.
Worth knowing
Crumble the threads into a little warm water and leave for 20 minutes before adding.

Kitchens that keep it in

Kashmir and Jammu — the Kashmir Valley and the hills below it, in India's far northKashmiriLamb, saffron and fennel in a high valley ringed by mountains: meat slow-cooked in yoghurt or red with Kashmiri chilli, greens from the lake, and kahwa against the cold.9 classicsIran — the high plateau between the Caspian Sea and the Persian GulfPersianSaffron rice with a golden crust, slow stews made sour with dried lime and pomegranate, and a heap of fresh herbs on every table — sweet, sharp and fragrant at once.10 classicsMoroccoMoroccanSlow tagines, steamed couscous and sweet-savoury pastries, scented with warm spice, preserved lemon and handfuls of fresh herbs.11 classicsThe Valencian Community — Spain's eastern coast, from Castellón to AlicanteValencianRice country: rice cooked dry in wide pans, soupy in pots and baked in the oven, beside the oranges, almonds, tiger nuts and turrón of Spain's orchard coast.7 classicsCastile and Madrid — the high central plateau of Spain, the mesetaCastilian and MadridThe kitchen of the high, dry meseta: suckling pig and lamb roasted in wood-fired ovens, chickpeas and garlic soups for hard winters, and a capital that eats out, late and standing up.10 classicsAsturias — the green mountains and coast of northern Spain, on the Bay of BiscayAsturianA kitchen of rain and mountains: big white beans stewed with smoked sausage, milk and blue cheese, fish from the Cantabrian Sea, and cider poured from a height.7 classicsProvence — south-eastern France, from the Rhône to NiceProvençalOlive oil, garlic and the herbs of the dry hills, with tomatoes, fish from the Mediterranean and sauces pounded in a mortar.10 classics

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