(Crocus sativus l.)
A perennial plant of the family Iridaceae bulbotuberiferous (iris).
Motherland - Asia Minor. wild state now does not occur. Cultivated in Spain, southern France, Italy, Turkey, Iran, India, Pakistan, China and Japan. Soviet Union saffron plantations are in Azerbaijan, Dagestan, on the southern coast of Crimea.
Used as a spice saffron stigmas of flowers (each flower - three stigmas). To do this, just collect the flowers bloom. And the tear in dry weather, at 10-11 am, certainly by hand and then on the same day a few hours later plucked from the stigmas of these flowers and dried them in the dryer, or no more than 15 minutes or at room temperature for about half an hour. In order to collect 100 grams of saffron, it is necessary to disrupt the 5 to 8000 flowers and run them through your hands twice, in other words - to produce 1 kilogram of saffron should be processed 80,000 plants!
Ready saffron is well dried, brittle, randomly entangled between a dark red-brown and pale yellow thread. The darker the saffron, the less impurities in it pale yellow filaments (stamens), the better the quality. The touch of saffron weight should be at least greasy. Strong smell of saffron, aromatic, slightly intoxicating taste - bitter and spicy.
Since ancient times, many peoples of saffron was the "King of Plants". He was extraordinarily expensive - 15 times more expensive than black pepper. Saffron was used as incense, paint ("saffron" in Arabic - "yellow"), a precious medicine and subtle seasoning for food.
Currently, saffron is used mainly as a spice and as a kind of food coloring to tint butter, cheeses, liqueurs and some soft drinks.
Europe and the U.S. saffron are used mainly in the confectionery industry, adding to cookies, cupcakes, cakes, biscuits, as well as to give emphasis liqueurs, mousses, fruit and pastry creams and gravies.
In the east, saffron is widely consumed in the preparation of meat and chicken, rice and vegetable dishes.Azerbaijani and Tajik pilaf, chikhirtma of meat and chicken, as well as eggplant and bean dishes require supplements saffron.
modern European cuisine is saffron used in dishes of stewed and boiled fish of valuable species and rice puddings sweet.
Saffron does not fit well with the other spices and is therefore not part of the spice mixtures, and is used almost always alone. Introduction of saffron in a particular dish should always exclude the introduction of other spices, if there are no special instructions in the recipe. Saffron is used in extremely small doses, as it is very "strong" spice. Violation of norms Share it may cause damage to the taste of the dish - it is unpleasant to taste bitter. The annual intake of saffron for one person may not exceed one gram. Hence it is clear how small the dose should be saffron in dishes. To obtain such a small dose is administered saffron in foods is not in dry form and in solution. To do this, first saffron dissolved in alcohol, the alcohol tincture of saffron is harvested and then, as needed, this alcohol tincture diluted with water and injected into the second dish during cooking (for 4-5 minutes until cooked), and pastry dishes with kneading test (rate of 0.1 grams per kilogram of 1-1.5 baked goods).
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