--- Watch Ainsley Harriott cook up a Spanish chicken with saffron potatoes on Ainsley's Mediterranean Cookbook, 8.30pm Sundays on SBS Food or stream it on ---
Saffron is a very particular spice. It takes around 150 crocus flowers (crocus sativus) to produce a single gram.
The plant flowers for just six weeks of the year, from the end of March through April in Australia.
Each flower has to be handpicked and processed to extract a single triploid (or three-pronged) stigma.
Oh, it's also best to pick the stigmas mid-morning, on a sunny day when the flowers are fully opened. The stigmas are immediately dried to lose 90 percent of their moisture to achieve a category one quality rating.
"We hand process 220,000 stigmas to produce each kilo of this precious spice," Nicky Noonan, co-owner of Australia's biggest saffron producer, tells SBS Food. With the cost of labour high in Australia, it's no surprise that much of Australia's saffron supply is imported from countries like Iran, India, Spain and Afghanistan.
Sally Noonan and her son Patrick hand pick saffron crocus at Tas-Saff, the family's farm at Glaziers Bay, Southern Tasmania. Source: Peter Mathew
"Our hourly rate in Australia can be up to 15 times what it costs to produce overseas," says Nicky. So, while there's an Australian saffron industry, particularly in Tasmania, "of course imported saffron will always remain heavily relied upon."
Worth the price
The labour intensive nature of producing saffron means Australian saffron will set you back around $50-60 for a single gram, which is around four times the price of imported saffron and roughly the same price as gold. The surprising thing is, there's still not a lot of money in growing saffron in Australia.
"We hand process 220,000 stigmas to produce each kilo of this precious spice." - Nicky Noonan
Despite seeming high, the current price of Australian saffron means growers aren't making money. "The price for Australian-grown saffron has remained stable for the past 20 years," says Nicky. It's not a large industry, but the stagnant price is still forcing many of the smaller producers out of the market.
"We liked saffron and wanted to grow things we like," explains Lisa Britzman, co-owner , a boutique farm in Tasmania's Huon Valley which produces culinary lavender and olive oil, as well as saffron. "But we’ve decided not to grow saffron commercially anymore because we just can’t sell it. We’ll keep selling it from our farm gate shop or online, but otherwise we’ve pared it back."
Fancy hand picking a few stigma out of this lot? Only 219,960 flowers to go... Source: Tas-Saff
Elemental flavour
Despite the commercial difficulties with growing the spice, it's definitely worth seeking out Australian saffron for quality, colour and flavour.
"There is always a percentage of customers who try to always buy Australian where possible," says Nicky. "These people would be aware of the origin of their saffron."
"Australian saffron is much higher quality," agrees Lisa. "You use far less to get better flavour."
The flavour of saffron is complex, and has been described as everything from "earthy" to "floral" to "airy" to "sweet". That's pretty much covering the four elements in one spice. If your saffron tastes in any way bitter or metallic, you're probably tasting an inferior version or even something else entirely.
Remember the 'golden' rule when buying saffron: the darker the colour, the richer the flavour.
"It's not unheard of for marigold stamen to be sold as saffron," says Lisa. "The industry is not as regulated as people would like."
Other "poor man's" substitutes include safflower (which is known as "Mexican saffron") and even turmeric, but neither spice can produce the complex flavour and depth of saffron itself. Remember the 'golden' rule when buying saffron is the darker the colour, the richer the flavour.
Saffron turns up in many unexpected places
Chocolate, pear and almond tart
Enriching many products
To encourage more people to venture out of the supermarket (where generally only cheaper, imported saffron is stocked) and try Australian-grown and produced saffron, growers are getting creative. Campo de Flori's genius marketing strategy is to sell saffron in a reusable preserving jar they've specially developed to showcase the flavour of the spice. "That way people know exactly how to use saffron to create something special," says Lisa.
At Tas-Saff they're producing handcrafted small-batch and (presumably to make liquid gold!) under their Growers Own Distillery banner. Their award-winning saffron gin is particularly popular, with saffron working beautifully to balance juniper's piney tartness. You can also try Tas-Saff's , which is marketed as a herbal tea and medicinal aid.
Tas-Saff's Grower's Own Distillery was awarded a bronze medal at the 2020 Australian Gin Awards. It's 100% produced on their Tasmanian farm. Source: Tas-Saff
Unleash the healing power
In fact, saffron has actually been used by cultures such as the Greeks for centuries to do everything from enhance libido, boost low mood and enhance memory. Growing supports these ancient practices, generally finding that saffron supplementation is a pathway to good health.
A by the University of Sydney's Save Sight Institute found that saffron supplementation modestly improved visual functioning in age-related macular degeneration.
Saffron has actually been used by cultures such as the Greeks for centuries to do everything from enhance libido, boost low mood and enhance memory.
Similar trials have also found a of saffron on mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and are that it can also support those with .
Recent research also indicates that saffron could also , , and act as a powerful to add in weight loss.
If that's not enough, have also discovered what the ancient Greeks knew all along: saffron has a positive effect on erectile dysfunction.
That steep price tag is looking more and more like a bargain...
A bowl of this will see you right
Risotto alla Milanese
No wait, it's still all about the food
Using saffron as a medicinal aid is all well and good, but what about the food?
Saffron turns up in , but is especially abundant in and dishes. If you've never tried a bowl of , you honestly haven't lived. It's the ying to a curry's yang.
This is an excellent place to start your maiden saffron voyage.
Tahdig is tinged golden from saffron and cooked on the stovetop to develop a crusty rice base. Source: Benito Martin
That said, saffron turns up in food from every corner of the globe. Renowned dishes in , , , , , , , , and even and cuisines all use this precious spice for colour, flavour and unreplaceable depth.
