Showing Food Saffron

General Information

Name

Saffron

Scientific Name

Crocus sativus

Description

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, native to Greece or Southwest Asia. It is mostly eaten in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. The culinary uses of saffron include seasoning and coloring agent in food, particularly in dishes like paella, risotto, and bouillabaisse. Saffron has a distinctive metallic honey-like aroma with grassy or hay-like notes, and a hay-like sweet taste. The color of saffron is a rich golden-yellow hue due to the carotenoid pigment, crocin. Saffron has several health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The most notable chemical in saffron is crocin, a carotenoid pigment (PMID: 36244518). Saffron has medicinal uses, including treating depression and anxiety, and industrial uses, such as a natural dye. A peculiar mode of preparation is the labor-intensive process of hand-picking and drying the delicate stigmas and styles, which can take up to 75,000 flowers to produce one pound of dried saffron (PMID: 37778521).

Primary ID

FOOD00063

Picture