Saffron is the most expensive spice by weight. Saffron threads are the stamens of a small purple crocus - each flower produces only three threads, which must be picked and sorted by hand. It takes over 75,000 flowers to produce a pound of saffron. Fortunately, a very few threads are all you need for most recipes. A gram contains enough threads for a dozen or more uses.

Saffron's golden color can be imitated (although not duplicated) by cheaper spices such as safflower and turmeric, but its richly delicate flavor is inimitable. Throughout history dishonest spice merchants have cut their pure saffron with safflower, marigold petals, and turmeric - even today people buying saffron at souks in Morocco or the Middle East risk buying an adulterated product.

The Spice House carries the top two grades of Spanish saffron, Superior and Coupe. Both provide an excellent flavor, but for the ultimate in golden color, the Coupe is unbeatable. We also offer powdered saffron in 5 gram vials.

Copyright © 2008 The Spice House
Web site powered by Table XI