Know your Kashmiri Saffron
Saffron, the world’s most expensive spice is derived from crocus sativus, or the purple saffron flower. The saffron strands that we all are familiar with are basically the styles and stigma of the flower which are collected and dried to be sold at prices of gold. Kashmiri saffron is the rarest and the most expensive form of saffron available in the world. The reason for this is its limited production of just over 2000 kgs, which is very less as compared to other producers of saffron. Also, what distinguishes Pure Kashmiri saffron from Italian, Spanish or Afghani Saffron is its highest levels of safranal, crocin, and picrocrocin. These three compounds are responsible for giving Kashmiri saffron its intense color, aroma, and deep pungent taste.
Noorali Saffron:
NOORALI ORGANIC is a brand based out of Lethpora Pampore Kashmir. Our offline store is situated at Express Highway, NH-44 Lethpora Pampore popularly known as ‘Saffron Town of Kashmir’ Pampore is one of the few places in the world where the ‘crocus sativus’ (the saffron flower), the world’s most expensive spice grows. This makes the saffron sold by Noorali the best brand to sell organic saffron in India; as it is cultivated and sold right from where it originates, meaning right from the source. It cannot get any more authentic than this, can it?
Indulge in the purity of the all-natural, certified, and original Kashmiri saffron with our freshly picked strands straight from ‘The Saffron Town’-Pampore. The top part of a saffron strand is called Mongra. It is flattened, dark red in color, and mainly finds its use in culinary preparation for the aroma, flavor, and color it imparts to cuisines that are bestowed with its magical addition.
GI Certified Saffron Brand:
Noorali has the proud privilege to house the world’s best quality Kashmiri saffron in its purest form, 100% certified, original Kesar. NOORALI SAFFRON complies with FSSAI and is registered with the Directorate of Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare (Government of Jammu and Kashmir for GI under Reg. No: SP00078B) selling authentic Kashmir Saffron threads to customers globally. Kashmiri saffron is of superior quality because of the higher concentration of crocin, a carotenoid pigment that gives saffron its color and medicinal value: Its crocin content is 8.72% compared to the Iranian variant’s 6.82%, which gives it a darker color and enhanced medicinal value.
Parts of Saffron Thread
Deep Dive into Saffron: From Cultivation to Harvest
Varieties of Saffron Explained
Lacha Saffron: The full stigma inside the saffron / Kesar flower is the Lacha
Lacha Saffron is one of the four grades of Saffron. The three long and flat dark red threads of Mongra with a yellowish red tail, which we find in the flower of Saffron (Kesar) are known as Lacha
Mogra Saffron: The top part of Lacha, a flat dark red thread, mainly used for cooking purposes is the Mogra
Mongra Saffron (Stigma) … Mogra Kesar is dark red in color and consists mainly of broken stigmas of the flower of Crocus Sativus Linn. Mogra Saffron is known for its coloring, flavoring, aromatic and medicinal properties.
Zarda Saffron: The bottom portion of the Lacha is Zarda. It is yellow in color, and mostly used in skin care preparations
Zarda Saffron, which is also known as “Stamen”. In biological terms, it is the tail of the red filament of the flower.
Broken Saffron: Dried and broken Mogra Kesar strands are easier to use in cooking and skincare
While the process to make mongra saffron from Lacha few parts of mongra get break into small parts these small parts are called Chura saffron or broken saffron
FACTS AND FIGURES
- Saffron could reach about 30 000 euros/kg
- About 250,000 flowers are needed for 1 kg of saffron
- About 5,000kg of crocus bulbs are needed per hectare
- 1 stigma of saffron weighs about 2 mg and each flower has 3 stigmata
- Iran is the biggest saffron producer in the world with 109 tonnes in 2011
