Saffron Information
By: Anonymous
Published: Saturday, February 13, 2010 - 11:40am

Ingredients




Saffron is the golden spice - Associated Press

Preparation

1 The flavor of Spain is steeped in saffron. This precious spice has its own mystique - the golden color it gives food reflects its fabulous costliness. 2 Saffron threads grow at the center of flowers of a plant in the crocus family; they are what is botanically known as the stigma. In the La Mancha region of Spain, a source area for high-quality saffron at least as far back as the Middle Ages, the delicate red saffron threads are picked by hand in an October harvest that lasts barely 10 days. 3 Each flower carries only three tiny threads of the spice; the stigmas from more than 70,000 flowers are needed to make one pound of saffron. That is why a pound can be worth thousands of dollars. 4 Fortunately, a very little goes a long way. A few strands are usually enough to season a dish.