Saffron
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Every diet
No carbohydrate.
Fine for most people at normal amounts.
Rules by country
Saffron is a dried spice and not an additive, so it carries no E-number and none of the three regulators has assessed it as one. In the United States it is listed among the spices that are generally recognized as safe, and in the EU it is a flavouring ingredient and a food subject to the general hygiene and labelling rules.
What is it?
Saffron is the red stigma of Crocus sativus, the autumn crocus, and each flower yields three strands. It takes on the order of 150,000 flowers to produce a kilogram of dried saffron, and because every flower is picked by hand the price is high. In the kitchen, crocin gives the golden yellow, safranal gives the honeyed smell, and picrocrocin gives the slight bitterness that stops it tasting flat.
Where it comes from: The dried stigma of the autumn crocus, a plant that cannot be grown from seed and is raised from corms by hand. Each flower opens at dawn and is picked the same day, because the scent fades quickly once the flower is open.
Why it’s in food
- Colouring rice and paella
- Aroma in stews and stocks
- Flavouring breads and buns
- Finishing a pilaf
- Colouring sauces and desserts
Often found in
Also listed as: Saffron, Saffron threads, Saffron spice, Saffron powder
Health & gut impact
A dish serving four usually needs about 0.1 grams of saffron, which is the few strands you can hold between your fingers. The colour comes from crocin and the smell from safranal, and both are concentrated enough that a tiny amount carries the whole pot.
USDA FoodData Central, saffron
Saffron oil is a fragrance ingredient, and people who react to perfumes and scented products can react to it as well. The reaction is usually contact dermatitis rather than anything from eating the spice, and it is uncommon.
NHS, contact dermatitis
Saffron costs enough per gram that cheaper plant threads are sometimes used to bulk it out. Safflower and corn silk colour the water yellow but carry none of the honeyed aroma or the bitter edge that real saffron has.
Health Canada, food safety
What can I use instead?
Related
More spices & herbs:
Common questions
Why is saffron so expensive?
Because the harvest is done entirely by hand. Each flower is picked at dawn and gives three strands, and it takes on the order of 150,000 flowers for a single kilogram of dried saffron.
How much saffron should I use?
About 0.1 grams for a dish serving four, which is a small pinch of strands. Toasting them briefly in warm water before adding them to the pan releases more colour and aroma than dropping them in dry.
Can I use a saffron substitute?
Yes, and plenty of people do. Turmeric gives the colour for a fraction of the cost and a little vanilla stands in for the warm note in sweet dishes, but neither has the same aroma.
Is saffron safe to eat?
In the amounts a recipe uses, yes. The strands are a seasoning rather than a supplement, and the reports of harm involve very large doses of saffron powder taken as a concentrated product.
Is Saffron safe?
Generally safe (93/100). Saffron is a dried spice and not an additive, so it carries no E-number and none of the three regulators has assessed it as one. In the United States it is listed among the spices that are generally recognized as safe, and in the EU it is a flavouring ingredient and a food subject to the general hygiene and labelling rules.
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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
- USDA FoodData Central, saffron
- NHS, contact dermatitis
- Health Canada, food safety