Saffron, also known as ‘red gold,’ is one
of the world’s most expensive spices by weight. Saffron derives from the flower
of the saffron crocus, which bears up to four flowers and can reach a height of
30cm.
Saffron is used in cuisines across the
globe. In India, the spice is used in abundance and is added to a vast array of
both sweet and savoury dishes. The addition of saffrongives dishes a bright,
orange-yellow colour with a honey, almost straw-like flavour.
In India, saffron is not just part of the
culinary world; the spice is also used to dye fabric and is added to perfumes
due to its distinctively sweet fragrance. Saffron is also used in various
religious rituals and ceremonies, for instance, during practices for the awakening
of the kundalini.
Saffron grows in very few places in the
world, which is in part reason why it is so expensive to buy. Kashmir, located
in the north-west of the Indian subcontinent, is one of lucky regions where the
spice is grown. In fact, Kashmiri saffron is believed to be the finest of them
all; is it recognisable by its maroon-purple hue and when added to dishes, it
releases a more intense, potent flavour than other varieties.
The Kashmir region is responsible for
producing more than 80% of Indian’s saffron. Globally, however, Iran dominates
the market. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for sellers nowadays to mix
high-quality Kashmiri saffron with lower-grade Iranian saffron, and then
attempt to sell it as pure Kashmiri saffron.
Most of the Kashmiri saffron is grown in the
small Kashmiri town of Pampore. Known to Indian’s as ‘saffron town,’ Pampore
sits a few miles from the city of Srinagar. Saffron is harvested in the autumn,
during which hundreds of locals travel to the plains to start plucking the
valuable flowers. The flower is the only part of the plant which grows above
ground and to make just one small pound of saffron, a staggering 75,000 flowers
need to be picked – it’s no wonder, then, why the spice is so expensive to buy.
The saffron grown in Kashmir is classified
into different grades, depending on the relative amounts of red stigma and
yellow styles (the threads) the flowers contain. The strength – and therefore
quality – of the saffron is determined by a number of factors, including the
amount of style picked along with the red stigma.
One of the most popular saffron-based
dishes prepared in the homes and restaurants of Kashmir is Zarda, which
essentially is sweet saffron rice. To make this dish, basmati rice is cooked
with a number of sweet ingredients, such as milk, nuts, sugar and cardamom –
and of course, saffron. Nuts (such as almonds, cashews and pistachios) and
raisins are sprinkled on top of Zarda before serving. This
aesthetically-pleasing dessert is often served at weddings across India, not
just in the Kashmir region.
If you want to sample an authentic,
saffron-infused dish, prepared by highly-skilled chefs, then book yourself a
table at one of London’s fine Indian restaurants.
