Saffron

Saffron, or Kesar, is the dried trifid stigmas and style tops of Crocus sativus L., a fall-blooming perennial in the iris family.

You’ll mostly buy it as whole red threads; it’s also sold as a dry powder.

It has a sweet, honey-like aroma with subtle grassy notes and a gently floral, sweet-musky presence. When infused, it shows warm, hay-like earthy undertones and a mildly bitter taste.

For desserts, soak the threads in warm milk or sugar syrup and fold into shrikhand, kesar peda, rasmalai, or kesari bath.

For rice, steep Kesar in warm milk or water and sprinkle over the layered rice before the final steaming; this is standard in Awadhi and Hyderabadi biryanis.

For drinks, steep the threads in warm milk, green tea, or festive spiced drinks. It’s essential in Kashmiri kahwa along with green cardamom and sliced almonds.

Saffron is indigenous to the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. In India it has been cultivated extensively in the Kashmir Valley for centuries. Jammu and Kashmir is the predominant producing region, centered around the Karewa highlands; Himachal Pradesh also cultivates it in select temperate hill pockets. Kashmir Saffron holds an official Geographical Indication for its long, thick stigmas, dark red color, and high crocin content.

Its color and aroma come largely from the carotenoids crocin and crocetin, with safranal and picrocrocin also contributing.