Saffron is the most valued and treasured spice in the world, it has a lot of uses in our cuisine. Saffron is considered to have a high content of iron, potassium, phosphorus.

Uses of saffron in our cuisine

Without a shred of doubt, the widest use of saffron is as food colouring; that is the reason why it is an essential ingredient in any type of paellas, risotto and some soups such as bouillabaisse.

Another major quality of saffron is its flavour. That is why we can use saffron as food seasoning in our fish stews, sauces and creams.
If we are thinking of adding saffron to our dishes, we cannot forget that saffron is meant to have aphrodisiac properties, therefore be aware of the amount used.

Ways of using Saffron

Another way to use saffron is infused. To carry out this technique, you have to heat water with a pinch of salt and a dash of olive oil –to avoid losing the saffron taste- then we add the spice threads. We let it cook on a slow heat stirring constantly to avoid it to burn. After a couple of minutes, we can add a glass of wine and let it reduce. To conclude, any dish can be served with this infused saffron oil.

What to blend saffron with

The flavour of saffron is slightly bitter with an earthy taste which is ideal to combine with full-bodied table wines with a neutral character. Besides, the dishes with saffron combine with medium-bodied rosé wines.

On the other hand, it is also used as an ingredient for desserts – in dishes such as rice pudding “ arroz con leche”, pastry, crème brûlée “crema catalana” and in chocolates and even in the production of liqueurs. One of the best examples is Chartreuse.

To sum up, saffron is valuable and has a wide range of uses.