You may already know about the different foods or ingredients that are considered the most expensive in Australia: luxurious caviar and Wagyu beef, for example. But those aren’t as expensive as saffron. Ounce for ounce, this spice found in many Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African dishes comes with a hefty price tag.
Fortunately, like many good spices, a little can do a lot for a dish, so you don’t really need a lot to begin with. But why should you consider adding saffron to any dish you’re cooking in the first place? To make a long story short, saffron can do wonders for the flavour of a dish, and it has some health benefits as well. Here’s an overview of why saffron is a good addition to anything culinary and could end up being a staple in your pantry.
Saffron Improves Flavour
Many food products have a flavour that is difficult to describe, and saffron is one of them. It’s floral but musty, sweet yet earthy, and bright and smoky all at once. Because of the complexities of its flavour, it can mix very well with a wide range of foods. Like vanilla, saffron doesn’t have to be the central ingredient. It can then improve and build on the taste of both sweet and savoury dishes, from rice and pasta, to meat, to vegetables, and even desserts.
Saffron is Versatile
Rather than asking how to use it, you may be better off asking how it shouldn’t be used. As mentioned earlier, saffron mixes well with many other ingredients. Cooks using it for the first time should experiment with rice-based dishes with few other ingredients, especially if they’re familiar with how the dishes taste without saffron.
The best way to prepare saffron before adding it to any dish is to take a small pinch of the saffron strands and use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to turn the strands into a fine powder. Afterwards, transfer the powder to a small bowl and add two to three tablespoons of hot water, stock, or broth, stir gently, then cover and leave it alone for about five minutes. You can also toast the saffron powder in olive oil, making sure to use low heat.
Either method will help to bring out the smell and colour of saffron before you add it to whatever it is you’re cooking.
Saffron has Incredible Health Benefits
Besides being a flavourful spice, saffron brings with it some important health benefits. Most notable of these is its variety of plant compounds that work like antioxidants, protecting your body against oxidative stress and free radicals. Not only does this mean protection from premature ageing, but there’s a good chance that this spice has cancer-fighting properties as well.
Saffron is also a good way to treat PMS symptoms like irritability, cravings, and headaches, and it can help reduce anxiety by lowering levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the uses of saffron and its benefits!
If you are in Australia and you want to buy saffron for cooking to try it out for yourself, we highly suggest visiting this online shop.