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Saffron (seasoning): where to add and what are its properties?

What makes the dish especially tasty and fragrant? Of course, seasoning! Without them, not a single preparation, be it a simple vegetable salad or complex pastries. Seasonings occupy an honorable place in the kitchen of those who like to cook, and the housewives know that with the number of herbs, peppers and other spices you need to be cautious - because if you overdo it, the dish will change its taste beyond recognition, even to the point that it is impossible Will eat.

The famous chefs all over the world have their secrets about spices. And they, like many food lovers, love the saffron gently and consider it the king of all spices. We learn together about what saffron (seasoning) is, where to add it, so that the dish turns out deliciously delicious, and where to buy this royal spice.

Priceless Flower

Spice saffron - this is nothing but a stigma flower Crocus inoculum (in Latin Crocus sativus), which belongs to the family of iris. The plant itself is interesting in that it does not have a stem: the flower and leaves develop directly from the tip of the bulb. From one tuber appears no more than three flowers, the color of which varies from pale lilac to vivid-purple. Flowering crocus only 3 days in early autumn, and the most expensive seasoning - saffron Is a crocus pestle, which consists of 3 long thin tubes of bright red-orange color. To spice saffron was high quality, the flowers of crocus should be collected on the day of flowering, otherwise they quickly fade.

Handmade

By the way, the flowering crocus is collected in the old manner - by hand, as this tender plant does not tolerate brute force and touch of any technique. The harvested crop is laid out on the table and out of the flowers (again manually) plucked out stigmas. Then they are dried at a temperature of 50 degrees in a special dryer for 13-15 minutes. The dried stigma is lowered into the water - thus the spice is sorted. Stigmas that sink to the bottom are considered to be of the highest quality, respectively, the price for them is very high. The same stigma that remained floating on the surface, refer to the third grade and are slightly cheaper.

Weight in gold

By the way, to get only 1 gram of this spice, you need to break about 150 flowers, and 1 kilogram of dry saffron is obtained after processing about 150 thousand flowers of crocus. From 1 hectare of saffron plantation, you can get up to 20 kilos of finished spice. Umomorately, is not it? Not surprisingly, the price for this truly royal seasoning is so high: the wholesale lot of saffron costs about 3000 euros, while retailing 1 gram of this spice will cost 10 dollars!

Saffron since ancient times is considered a cure for all ailments. At the excavations conducted on one of the islands of the Aegean Sea in 2014, the researchers found ancient frescoes, which are more than 3,500 years old. They depicted a deity who healed the suffering with the help of saffron. Also, scientists found that in ancient Iran, saffron was originally used not as a medicinal panacea and seasoning, but as a dye for tissues.

Jewel from India

The best in all respects is Indian saffron. The seasoning of unsurpassed quality is made in Indian Kashmir and is a dried long stigma juicy red, almost burgundy, with a rich and persistent aroma. Kashmir saffron is rather difficult to grow, so it is produced in very small quantities and it is incredibly expensive. Indian saffron - seasoning, application Which can afford only very expensive restaurants and very wealthy people.

Treasure from Spain

The second in quality is the Spanish saffron, which is grown in La Mancha. Harvesting begins in the second half of October: at this time work on the plantations is boiling for 20 hours a day. The main feature of the Spanish saffron is that after the crocus flowers extract the spice threads, they are dried on an open fire. This technique triggers a special chemical reaction in the stigmas, which makes saffron seasoning, the use of which is so common in the restaurants and houses of Spain, acquires an incredible, amazing aroma.

Saffron Paradise

In addition to India and Spain, saffron is produced in Iran. It is Iran - the largest producer of this unique spice. Plantations of Iranian saffron stretch for 20 thousand hectares in the province of Khorasan, they grow up to 250 tons of this unsurpassed spice. Therefore, it is not surprising that Iran is the world leader in the export of saffron.

Careful, fake!

Unfortunately, many unscrupulous sellers, under the guise of saffron, sell various forgeries, and it's good if it's ordinary turmeric, and not cut colored paper! By the way, a hundred years ago in Iran, for the sale of counterfeits of this spice, the warmed merchants were cut off their hands, and their goods and all property were simply burned!

Fake from Turkey

Most often, fake spicery under the guise of saffron is sold in the spice market in Turkey. Red and orange roller coaster sellers are positioned as a seasoning. Saffron Turkish and attracts an inexperienced buyer with an acceptable price and strong flavor. It is only natural that an ordinary person is unlikely to be able to determine the true nature of the spice in terms of color, flavor, and taste - for this one needs to be an expert in this spice. Under the guise of turkish saffron, either the chopped turmeric root or the dried safflower flowers (which is called Mexican saffron) is often hidden. These goods are the budget substitute for this spice. The so-called Turkish saffron is a seasoning, the application of which is widespread everywhere: in Turkey, the Caucasus, France, Poland, Italy and the territories of countries that once belonged to the USSR.

In search of true saffron

In order not to be deceived and not to buy a fake, it is worth to know what the saffron seasoning looks like in its true form. The real spice can be calculated for certain only after it has been tested in a chemical laboratory. The buyer also has to focus on a minimum of three indicators: color, taste, smell, and, of course, do not buy this spice in the ground form. This saffron can be bought only in specialized stores! At the same time, it is sold in airtight boxes, on which the producer and brand must be specified. Remember that true spice can not be cheap!

Natural saffron is a tangled long dark red thread-stigma, soft and tender, almost weightless, with a characteristic, somewhat medical scent and a delicate bitter-sweet taste.

The main thing is to know the measure!

So, now you know what a saffron (seasoning) is. Where to add it, so as not to spoil the dish and not translate the food? After all, you will agree, it will be very offensive if after a few hours spent in the kitchen in the name of a culinary masterpiece, the dish will be spoiled by the wrongly selected seasonings. Remember: seasoning saffron, the use of which can turn any dish into a culinary masterpiece, is never added in large quantities, otherwise it will give the dish an unbearable smell and excessive bitterness.

The secret of taste

Saffron - seasoning, the use of which in cooking is very, very diverse and at the same time universal. It is used in the preparation of soups, meat and fish dishes, as well as in all kinds of pastries and various desserts. In addition to the delicate taste and delicate aroma, this spice gives the dishes a yellow-orange shade.

Cabbage turns ...

By the way, saffron perfectly complements vegetables, whether it's a simple salad or ratatouille. Especially delicious turns cabbage with saffron. The recipe for spicy salad from cabbage is simple and surely will appeal to all lovers of gourmet cuisine.

To prepare this dish you will need:

  • Half of cabbage head;
  • One medium carrot;
  • One large onion;
  • Two large cloves of garlic;
  • liter of water;
  • A tablespoon of vinegar (preferably 7%);
  • Two tablespoons of sugar;
  • One tablespoon of table salt;
  • One teaspoon of black ground pepper;
  • Half a teaspoon of red hot pepper;
  • One teaspoon coriander;
  • Several threads of saffron (three or four pieces);
  • If desired, you can add a little raisin or barberry;
  • Vegetable oil for frying.

1. Cabbage, we separate the top sheets and large shreds. Sliced vegetables are poured hot (not boiling) water and leave for 10-15 minutes.

2. We put a frying pan on the fire, we heat the vegetable oil in it. Peeled onions cut into large cubes and fry along with red pepper on low heat until golden brown.

3. While the onion is fried, prepare marinade: bring a liter of water to a boil and add sugar, vinegar, peppers, salt, raisins or barberry. There is sent garlic and saffron (seasoning). Where to add fried onions? In a saucepan with a marinade, after which the contents are mixed and let them soak over low heat for five to seven minutes. While marinade languishes, we rub carrots.

5. Throw the cabbage into a colander and spread it into a separate pan. There we add carrots and mix everything thoroughly.

6. Pour cabbage and carrots with cooked marinade, cover tightly and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

A spicy, spicy and surprisingly tasty salad is ready in a day! It can be eaten with fried potatoes or mashed potatoes, with meat, chicken, noodles, rice and simply as an independent dish.

On this tasty note, our acquaintance with such a culinary miracle as saffron (seasoning) ends. Where to add it, how to choose and not run into a fake, now you know. The case for small - to buy the true saffron and enjoy its unsurpassed qualities.

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