Saffron is one of the oldest herbs ever used for medicinal purposes in the history of mankind and up to this date it is being used in some regions of the world such as India. The stigmas were believed to cure many illnesses and also had the capability of making strong dye. European are believed to be among the first to use saffron as a spice in their cooking. Saffron is also used in religious ceremonies.
Be careful when purchasing saffron. It is sometimes adulterated with other spices. True saffron is expensive and has a deep orange to brownish red color. The coloring capabilities of saffron come from the red portion of the saffron threads and not the yellow portions that are left uncut in lower grade saffron. Choose whole saffron threads over powder saffron. The threads have a better flavor and the curative qualities are higher.
Saffron is known to be the most expensive spice in the world. Throughout history, dishonest dealers would adulterate their saffron by adding similar materials for added weight or by dyeing the lower quality saffron strands red, which is the sign of good quality saffron. Pure saffron contains only the stigma of the Crocus flower with nothing else added.
For example, all red saffron that is ten years old is not good quality saffron. The next criterion is aroma. Old saffron looses its pungent aroma and sometimes it has no aroma at all. So, good quality saffron is saffron that is completely red and has a nice aroma. Please note that this does not mean that any pure saffron strand with some yellow in it is not decent saffron. It is just not as potent as saffron that is completely red. In fact, some people prefer saffron with yellow in it and to them it is not saffron if the stigma does not have any yellow.
We define fresh saffron as saffron that is less than one year old. Some call it baby saffron. The best quality saffron comes from the current crop year. Pure saffron strands composed of red and yellow portions of the stigma are less potent than the pure saffron composed entirely of the red portions of the stigma. On the other hand saffron strands composed of red and yellow portions of the stigma shows that it is not dyed, since it is not cost efficient to dye saffron strands partially red.
Grading of saffron is done according to color, floral waste content and foreign matter. There are three grades of saffron: Mongra contains top most parts of dried stigmas. Lacha is part of stigma with style. Gucchi contains whole stigmas with style tied in bundles.
The most important rule in buying saffron is to find a source that you can trust. Since, it is an expensive spice; retailers can trick you in to buying bad quality saffron that you do not require. Sometimes, you can get saffron for a cheaper price. All you need is doing your research properly on what good quality saffron is and how to purchase it.
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