Taliouine saffron

Saffron is a unique spice made from the stigmas of the saffron crocus. Our saffron is from small-scale, organic cultivation in Morocco and is of unprecedented quality: colorful, fragrant, and full of flavor. Class 1, crocin value: average 240.

From India to Portugal, from North Africa to Sweden, there is virtually no cuisine where saffron does not play a leading role. In Spanish paella, in Italian risotto, in Scandinavian cinnamon rolls, in French bouillabaisse and Indian biryani, and so on.

Saffron consists of the red stigmas of the saffron crocus, a species of crocus cultivated in Iran thousands of years ago. Due to their delicate appearance, they are called 'threads'. Although they are perfectly edible themselves, an infusion is made for cooking, in the same way you make tea. Just a few threads in some hot, but not boiling, water are sufficient for your dish.

For saffron of a quality like ours, 0.1 gram is generally sufficient. The level of this quality is determined by the ISO 3632-2 report. In this report, the saffron is assessed, among other things, on the content of the color and fragrance compounds crocin, crocetine, pricocrocin, and safranal. The crocin content determines the class in which the saffron may be offered. For Class I saffron, a crocin value of 190 is required.

Every year, our saffron is tested to determine its quality. It is, of course, a natural product, and conditions can vary from year to year. This saffron scores an average of 240 and is therefore allowed to bear Class I. These are our measurement results in accordance with ISO 3632-2:

Crocine	240	+/- 24
Bitterness	92	+/- 9
Taste	42	+/- 4
Moisture content	9.4%

What are saffron threads, actually? They are the pistils (stigmas) of the flower. Equipped to be pollinated by insects. to become, hence the powerful sweet alluring scent. However, the saffron crocus is sterile and cannot reproduce by pollination. Human intervention is required for that. The only way to reproduce the annual crocus is to harvest the bulbs at the end of a cycle and replant them in the new season.

This happens quite late in the season, in early summer. Many crocus species bloom in the spring, but the saffron crocus is a true late bloomer, hence the late bloom. The first flowers appear in the course of October. All the other crocuses follow within two weeks. The flower opens very early in the morning and would wilt later in the day. It is important to harvest the flowers before this happens, as the wilted flower is unusable.

Our saffron is grown on a small family farm in Taliouine, a village in the heart of the Sirwa in the province of Taroudant, with a centuries-old saffron tradition. It is not without reason that Taliouine saffron is included in Slow Food's Ark of Taste and also has European protected status (PGI). Taliouine is situated at an altitude of 1,300-1,500 meters in the Souss-Massa-Daraâ region, south of Marrakech. In addition to saffron, argan oil is an important regional product.

The flowers are picked gently so that no stigma is lost. After picking, the deep red stigmas are cut from the orange-yellow style, three stigmas per flower. With Spanish saffron, the style and stigmas are not separated, which makes the saffron more voluminous. Our Taliouine saffron is dried in special drying rooms, not in direct sunlight.

For every gram of dried saffron, the leaves, styles, and stigmas of no fewer than one hundred and fifty flowers must be separated. A massive task that requires the family to work with all their might.

Usage

As befits saffron, our saffron does not taste sweet; all the flavor power is combined in the safranal. To capture the flavor in your dish, an infusion is first made using just a few strands of saffron (about 0.1 grams is usually sufficient) in a little hot, but not boiling, water. In the same way you make your saffron tea. Take the time to make the infusion as strong as possible; let it steep for at least five minutes, but fifteen minutes is also fine. The liquid is used as a flavoring or tea. In some dishes, the stigmas are also used, primarily to show that real saffron has been used.

Add saffron only at the end of the preparation process to allow the flavor profile to come into its own. Expose the saffron to heat for as short a time as possible, even in your Risotto Milanese. Do give the flavors time to integrate.

Use a maximum of 1 gram of saffron per day (per person).

Features:

• 100% stigmas of the Crocus sativus
• origin: Morocco, Taliouine

Assortment

• glass jars (1, 2 and 5 grams) and (refill) bags
• while supplies last (inquire about availability)
• Larger quantities on request
• now: volume discount: on the purchase of two or more sachets in a refill bag:
• two or more sachets at €14.50 per 1-gram sachet, 5 or more sachets €13.75 each; your discount will be applied in the shopping cart.

Gift packaging

• The jar is available in tasteful gift packaging, consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper.
• For an overview of our gift packaging, please refer to the gift packaging section.
  

Save:

• Store saffron in a closed package.
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before November 2027 (11-2027)
• This expiration date is an indication.

Stock item

We maintain a limited stock of this delicious saffron. If you are interested in larger quantities, please ask us about availability and delivery time.

Batch number

The batch number helps us trace which supply an item originated from. It is listed on the packing slip and the invoice.