Saffron golden-coloured, pungent stigmas (pollen-bearing structures) of the autumn crocus(Crocus sativus), which are dried and used as a Spice to flavour foods and as a dye to colour foods and other products. Saffron has a strong, exotic aroma and a bitter taste and is used to colour and flavour many Mediterranean and Asian dishes, particularly rice and fish, and English, Scandinavian, and Balkan breads.
Saffron Export
Iran (Persia) produces 95% of the world’s saffron, and, Mashhad region in Iran is home to one of the highest qualities of saffron, “Super Negin”. This variety comes straight from the farms in Mashhad, where the crocus flowers are cultivated without the use of chemical fertilizers.
It has crimson colored round stigma heads as compared to the flatter blood red colored Kashmir saffron, which is one of the ways to differentiate the two by appearance. The coloring strength (250+), lasting bitterness (95+) and aroma (46+), and longer strands make this variety a favorite among top chefs, bakers, skincare brands and naturopaths and the like.
