Spanish Saffron
Saffron is a deeply rooted condiment, both
economically and culturally, in Castile-La Mancha. It should not be considered
just another agricultural product, rather part of the historic and cultural
patrimony of the region that must be protected and preserved. It has enjoyed a
Protected Denomination of Origin since 17 March 2001.
Originally
from Central Asia, cultivation of this plant was introduced to the Peninsula by
the Arabs, very knowledgeable about spices, who made it a condiment that was
monopolised by the Al Andalus bourgeoisie.
Cultivation has been maintained ever since its
arrival to the region of La Mancha. It must be noted the special care required
in its cultivation, harvesting (done by hand) and pruning of the flower to
obtain this prized condiment.
Saffron is obtained from the dried stigmas of
the saffron crocus: Crocus sativus. It is used as a condiment, providing dishes
with a characteristic orange colour and slightly bitter taste, as well as an
exotic aroma. Saffron from La Mancha is different from others because of the red
stigmas that extend outside of the flower and because their stems are short.
Saffron from La Mancha under the Denomination
of Origin must always be saffron from the current harvest, since it loses
quality over the years, and must be sold in strands only, never ground. The
strands are flexible and resistant, with bright red stigmas.
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Saffron from Spain - Select Grade
Highest Quality - Category 1
Size: 0.35oz/1gr
Saffron is evaluated in terms of the
intensity of its color and its flavor. 'Select Grade' Peregrino has
earned the rating of Category 1 according to ISO standards.
Attractively packaged in a clear glass
container with a cork, your full thread saffron will keep fresh for
months. |
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Saffron from Spain - Select Quality
Size: 1oz/28gr
This attractive tin of saffron contains
28 times as much as our smaller saffron jar at a great price.
This saffron is the highest quality
saffron available, therefore it has almost twice the strength of many
other brands of saffron. It is harvested in the sunny gardens of La
Mancha, the native land of Don Quixote. The flowers of a particular
strain of crocus are picked individually and peeled by hand to reveal
the delicate stigma that are then sorted by size and color before they
are toasted. The result of this labor-intensive process is a most
extraordinary and exotic condiment; ideal for preparing traditional
Spanish dishes such as paella and saffron rice. |
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Coupe Saffron - The Ultimate in Saffron
Size: 0.17oz/0.5gr
The most intense color and flavor.
Sometimes when you think you have the best that money can buy, you find
that there is something even more special -- a secret cache that few
know about.
This is the case for Coupé saffron,
which has been taken one step closer to perfection.
Approximately 200 crocus flowers are
needed to obtain the saffron you find placed in this bottle. The saffron
is Select Class I (the top category) in terms of richness of flavor and
intensity of color. It is made in the region of La Mancha where the
world's best saffron is gathered by hand. What more could one ask for?
Try this! Each strand of saffron has a
deep red end, containing the highest concentration of its flavor and
color, and a thinner, lighter yellow tip. 'Coupé' saffron is just the
darkest, most intense part. To produce Coupé, a person selects the
highest quality "Select Class 1" strands of saffron and, one strand at a
time, further trims them by snipping off the slightly lighter-colored
end.
Because only the most intense part of
the saffron strand remains, you need not use as much saffron for your
recipe and it will have the fullest of flavor and the richest of
brilliant saffron yellow. |
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