Saffron pistil

How to Incorporate Saffron Threads into Your Cooking?

It pairs particularly well with rice-based dishes like risotto and paella, meat dishes like chicken or lamb, as well as seafood such as shrimp and mussels. Additionally, saffron can also be added to sauces, soups, desserts, and even beverages.

What Dishes to Use Saffron Threads In?

• - Saffron Risotto : add a few saffron threads to your risotto to give it a beautiful golden color and subtly fragrant flavor;
• - Saffron Chicken : let saffron infuse in a chicken marinade before grilling or baking it to give it a unique color and flavor;
• - Saffron Crème Brûlée : incorporate saffron threads into the custard of your crème brûlée for a touch of luxury and a golden color. Serve with a crispy caramel topping;
• - Saffron Pasta : add a few saffron threads to the sauce of your pasta to delicately flavor it and give it a golden yellow hue;
• - Saffron Tea : infuse a few saffron threads in hot water to prepare a fragrant and flavorful hot beverage.

Discover the recipe for saffron tiramisu

The Aromas of Saffron

The red stigma of the purple crocus has intriguing aromas of cedar, pepper, and flowers, which concentrate warmth, power, and sweetness at the same time. While it ignites the passion of gastronomes, it is the indispensable product for chefs striving for Michelin stars.

Saffron, a Very Delicate Spice

The purple-petaled crocus, Crocus sativus, blooms from October to November. It belongs to the family Iridaceae and consists of 6 petals, 3 stamens, and 3 stigmas. It should not be confused with the autumn crocus, a toxic cousin very similar to the crocus but containing 6 stamens. Its harvest requires patience and virtuosity. It is during its flowering, which lasts only 2 or 3 weeks, that the crocus is harvested with care. It takes all the gentleness of women's hands to grasp these ephemeral flowers. Then comes the phase of trimming, where women remove the stigmas from the flowers with the greatest care, keeping with a precise and ancestral gesture, the most aromatic part.

A Sovereign in the Kingdom of Spices

Man has never succeeded in recreating the perfect conditions of temperature, humidity, and sunlight that allow this mysterious and delicate flower to flourish gracefully. It seems to bloom only in its precise environment, chosen with care. Originating from the Middle East, it was nevertheless cultivated for the first time nearly 4000 years ago in the Greek provinces. Considered the most expensive spice in the world, saffron is a rare product due to its extremely laborious harvest and very low yield. Thus, it takes 150,000 crocus flowers to obtain 1kg of saffron.

Learn more about saffron