saffron

Also: “royal spice”, safflower, spiced saffron, soup yellow

Description:

Appearance:

Closely related to the crocus from the lily family. In spring, a leaf sheath emerges from the subterranean onion bulb, from which 8-10 filamentous, thin, long leaves and light purple flowers sprout. Typical light purple crocus flower: in the center a bright red three-legged stigma.

In the case of saffron, only the three-part orange stigmas serve as a spice and color

1: 100,000 colors saffron water intensely yellow (mixed colors of carotene compounds and sugar). Closely related to the crocus from the lily family. It takes a lot of time - the most expensive spice in the world: the red stigmas are manually harvested from the open flowers by pinching them during the flowering period. This and the low yield (150.00-200.000 scars make 1kg) make it the most expensive spice.

Recovered plant part:

For 150,000 of the purple flowers, scars have to be plucked out and dried on sieves over a wood fire in order to obtain 1kg of the best quality "elegant saffron"

Harvest time:

October to November

Offer forms:

Dried whole as saffron threads packed in sachets

"Elegant saffron" à best quality (greasy when touched)

“Natural saffron” à cheaper, may contain up to 10% stylus parts in addition to scars

Dried and ground

Ingredients:

Safranal à fragrance (main component of the essential oil), crocine,

Yellow, water-soluble colorants (carotenoids), fatty oil, bitter substances

Taste and smell:

Spicy, aromatic, somewhat hot, slightly bitter-sweet

Strong aromatic odor

Cooking and kitchen use with typical dishes

Saffron is used by the tip of a knife. It dissolves in hot liquid and turns an intense yellow.

Soup: Bouillabaisse (French fish soup), mussel cream soup

Meat dishes: roast lamb, ragout, poultry ragout

Fish dishes: salmon cubes with ribbon noodles and saffron sauce, steamed and poached sea fish dishes, fish ragout

Shellfish and crustaceans: ragouts

Vegetable side dish: ratatouille

Starch side dish: Milanese rice, saffron rice, risotto, paella: Spanish paella, pasta

Salads: fish and poultry salad

Rice dishes: Spanish paella, Italian risotto alla Milanese, oriental pilaf

Sweets: rice pudding, semolina porridge, milk pudding, ice cream

Miscellaneous: Coloring of cheese, white bread, rolls (saffron rolls and cakes, Sabbath bread Challah), baked goods: yeast pastries, sponge cakes, biscuits, liqueur production

Use within dietetics:

Appetizing and digestive

Who knew?

Saying:

We know the line from the children's song "Backe bake Kuchen": "Saffron makes the cake gel."

Definition: