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Saffron, the most expensive spice (2018)
- orf 5y agoI grew up in Saffron Walden. Never expected to see something about it posted here. It’s not a huge town (20k people) but it’s got an absolute gigantic, almost cathedral sized church in part due to the revenues generated from Saffron and the associated markets that sprung up around it.
- dafman 5y agoI also grew up there. I never thought I’d see it mentioned on HN, let alone see someone else post here who also grew up there!
- timthorn 5y agoGiven its proximity to Cambridge, there'll likely be a goodly number of folk here who live nearby. I'm only a few miles away.
- simonebrunozzi 5y ago> One particular region of England became so internationally famous for its saffron—in fact, each autumn, the entire area was carpeted in purple petals—that the local market town of Chepying Walden changed its name to Saffron Walden. I would have never guessed that a British town would have been at the epicenter of Saffron's history! Thanks for your comment :)
- zoomablemind 5y agoAnyone could describe a relative scent of 'real' saffron? I did experience supposedly some of its use, but mostly as a coloring agent (yields a nice light orange tint). But for such purpose annato color is much cheaper alternative. All that saffron rice to my taste is just regular, unlike jasmine rice, for example, which has a sweet floral, acacia-like, scent. I know, some crocuses may smell very sweet, but those are fresh, not the dried ones like saffron often sold, not speaking that a lot of it may be fake for some 'curious' folks like myself :)
- taejo 5y agoWarm, honey-like, slightly earthy, very slightly spicy
- GordonS 5y agoI'd add floral and metallic too.
- ericbarrett 5y agoWhy not make some for yourself? Then you'll know in the future whether it's the real deal. Saffron rice is very easy: https://www.marthastewart.com/1049924/saffron-rice https://www.marthastewart.com/1049924/saffron-rice Saffron is expensive, but it takes a very small amount to deliver the flavor, so it shouldn't cost more than US$5 for enough to make this ten times.
- baby 5y agoI wouldn’t boil saffron or mix it in liquid of high temperature as it will lose most of its taste. Just add it to a warm cup of water and pour it into your dish at the very end.
- hutzlibu 5y agoI am not a great cook, but isn't this true for almost any spice?
- vlan0 5y agoNot quite. Many spices do well in a fry pan with a bit of oil. Throw in something like onions when spices become fragrant. My go-to method for most anything Mexican or South Asian.
- baby 5y agoYep, true for salt and pepper and olive oil and garlic and choriander and so many other things that people are a bit too quick to cook with. The only way to cook with these is to make it fat (fat absorbes the taste) and not cook it under high temperature. That’s why the sauce is added at the end in many chinese or japanese dishes. And of course, adding it at the end uncooked always works wonders.
- ChrisArchitect 5y ago
- Tomte 5y agoAnything you'd like contribute to this site besides constantly complaining about earlier submissions? I mean, seriously: https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=ChrisArchitect https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=ChrisArchitect
- ChrisArchitect 5y ago
- dang 5y agoReposts are fine if a story hasn't had significant attention in the last year or so. This is in the FAQ: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html. (It's of course fine to point to past threads, as long as there are interesting comments there for people to look at, and it's great to point out the year of an article when it needs adding to the title.)
- arsalanb 5y ago
- textcortex 5y agoIs is true that saffron has antidepressant properties? When I first read about it, it sounded like a saffron supported science..
- tsol 5y agoYes, you can but supplements that contain it or just take saffron threads directly. I've used it in the past, but it also has a habit of blocking appetite which I don't like. https://examine.com/supplements/saffron/ https://examine.com/supplements/saffron/
- textcortex 5y agoThanks for the link! Seems legit.
- indus 5y agoThe aroma of saffron is just amazing. I grew up in India where saffron is added on rice, zero-proof drinks, dessert…and even hot milk tea. Sprinkle a few strands on your morning milk tea!
- nanomonkey 5y agoInteresting, I was just contemplating growing some saffron crocus for my own consumption. Anyone tried this with success? Good sources for the bulbs, stuff that one should look out for?
- tastyfreeze 5y agoI ordered some from Eden Brothers last year. They were planted too late to flower but they grew nicely. Hoping for flowers and division this year. Crocuses in general are very easy to care for. Most flower in the spring before grass comes back. Saffron blooms in fall. I spelled "spring" in my yard with normal crocuses.
- nanomonkey 5y agoThanks! The fall vs. spring flowering dichotomy was what stopped me from purchasing crocus bulbs from amazon as a trial run. I realized I needed to do a bit more research.