saffron(?)

Can anyone tell me where I can get some saffron for paella in the states?

Iliana,
I normally find it at my local supermarket. Check the ethnic section, with the "Goya" products.
You can also buy it from: www.laespanolameats.com www.tienda.com www.ethnicgrocer.com www.netgrocer.com

[This message has been edited by Angela (edited 09-05-2000).]

According to U.S. Customs, is saffron considered a food? Anyone have any idea how much I can bring back? I was thinking about bringing "A TRUCK LOAD" of it back with me.

"I'm just crazy 'bout saffron", MadridMan

as far as i know they didn't consider it to be food. i brought back to large tins. they didn't count it as anything more than a souvenir.
as to where to find saffron in the us? its quite easy. at just about every decent supermarket i've been to there's a happy supply over on the spice rack. i know that schillings as well as spice hunter bottle saffron. and of course its from la mancha. i live in san francisco, ca. and its quite easy to find imported brands such as la rosa. so just keep looking, you'll find it.

Another great place would be any East Indian grocery store as it is often used in many of their dishes. (Rice pudding for instance, which I love).

Good luck and good eatin'.

Thanks to everyone for your quick replies! I'll let you know when I find it.

Hey, shouldn't we be discussing this in the "Food" forum?!

"Ethnic" food stores or markets seem to be the best bet. I get mine in a shop that is primarily Italian, for example. (I think the reason might be that it is an ingredient in several kinds of risotto.)

I bought some a couple of weeks ago and when I got home I noticed it was from Iran, not Spain. I've cooked with it and it seems fine, and it was no more or less expensive than Spanish saffron. Has anyone ever bought saffron from countries other than Spain, and if so how have you found its quality?

MM - if you can afford to buy "A TRUCK LOAD" of saffron, you can afford to RETIRE to Spain right now!

other than spanish saffron i've used italian, persian and indian. the italian is far less intense, east indian is in my opinion more for color than flavor. you could actually replace this with tumeric. persian is very good quality. its quite close to spanish. however, none of these three come close to what we all love from la mancha.

I absolutely agree with you Nicholeye.
And hey, since you seem to have had
the fortune of enjoying all kinds, let
me know if you know why Spanish saffron
is the best. I love hearing food secrets.

holuhh,

saffron tea rox.

it's funny how a lot of vendors will tell you that saffron color also equates with flavour... i.e., the more color the more flavour. in my experience this is not true.

there is great saffron from all over the world, iranian being good, but i still think azafran mancha is some of the best. La Mancha is known in spain for being one of the best regions for saffron, where the flowers are actually protected by men with escopetas(shotguns).. (i've seen this.. kinda freaky..)

i used to import saffron to the US and sold it to restaurants and individuals (with my brother, who is a chef). you can carry as much saffron on you, mailed, shipped, while on the airplane back, whatever, from spain as you like. to import it you must declare it through the USFDA, and to be an "importer" you must have an EIN(employer identification number). it is easy to do...

Cefran of La Mancha, with an office in Madrid (near Pueblo Nuevo metro) has a great product with equally great prices. the presentation is nice, with clear rectangular cases, or cute little jars, both of which allow clear view of the product so you can inspect it. nice color.

again, the best place in the US for some of these types of products will be in Spanish grocery stores. if you want Spanish saffron, be prepared to PAY for it. it is not cheap (it's been a while since i bought any or looked at the market, i still have a small stash), but it is GOOD.

i think there is still a website run by a spanish guy, in san francisco, that swears up and down that greek saffron is the best. this guy has sucker-charts and graphs galore to prove his point, but his saffron is no cheaper than anyone else's. darn, i wish i had his URL so you could check it out... (but this was about 3 years ago)

saffron has some interesting medicinal values too, like inducing abortion, as an afrodisiac (similar to THC and Kava Kava), and cleansing (like anti-oxidant) properties... saffron is powerful stuff!

i look forward to seeing more posts regarding saffron becuase i think there is a lot to learn about it, and it's great in FOOD!!

My fiancee moved here from Spain a while back and was going to bring saffron with her, but at the last minute decided not to. Luckily for her she didn't bring it, because the customs people had a dog sniff her out. They told her that if she had brought any spices with her that are available in the states, she would have been deported. Even if it was going to be a gift. I'm not sure about the laws on that, but it just doesn't seem right. Also, speaking of customs, she said they treaeted her worse than she had ever been treated. They went through all her bags and personal belongings...Welcome to America. Just thought I'd throw that in. Anyway, I'm glad she's here.

My wife and I are interested in purchasing saffron while on our forth-coming trip to Spain. We are particularly interested in the ‘thread’ version (the dried stamens, I believe) rather than the ‘powdered’ version. Is the ‘thread’ version available at “Cefran of La Mancha, with an office in Madrid (near Pueblo Nuevo metro)”?

When we were last in Spain and Tangier, we found the ‘powdered’ version widely available but we were not able to find the ‘thread’ version until we were at the airport in Madrid.

We will also be in Barcelona, Costa del Sol and wherever else the wind may blow us.

I tried to verify just how the US Custom Service views saffron by going to their site at http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/ . A search on saffron led to THE HARMONIZED TARIFF SCHEDULE OF THE UNITED STATES (1999), which is http://www.customs.gov/download/htsusa/htsusa.pdf , a non-searchable TOTALLY incomprehensible 4000 page document in the pdf format.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 01-19-2001).]

Hi All -

Check out Penzeys at www.penzeys.com

They have pretty much any spice you could want and because the packaging is pretty minimal the prices are much better (as is the quality). The thought of paella makes me extremely hungry right now. Thanks alot guys!

Oh, and the Harmonized Tariff schedule is what I look at for a living (I work in logistics). There is no need to use this unless you want to have saffron imported and need the correct schedule B number, duty rate
and quota category. Stay away !!!

Kimberley

[This message has been edited by Kimberley (edited 01-19-2001).]

Kimberley:

Thank you for your instantaneous response. We have a Penzeys in our area but, making a purchase from them is not quite the same as doing it in Spain.

Are you familiar with the 'thread' version?

If you work with the Tariff Schedule perhaps you can tell if I return with "two large tins" as in the above post, am I looking for trouble?

[This message has been edited by Sol (edited 01-19-2001).]

Hey Sol -
I brought back some threaded saffron on the advice of the lady I stayed with in Spain and when I brought it home I could not figure out how to use it - it didn't color or flavor my food. I looked it up and read that saffron needs to be steeped in something acidic, like vinegar, for the flavor to be released. That can't be right, can it? Then wouldn't your food tasted like vinegar?

Anyway, now I use Goya powdered fake saffron and it's got zero flavor.

Anyone have other suggestions for this kitchen klutz?

"Spice Islands" brand (in the brownish-lid) sells the threaded version. The powdered stuff is crap by comparison. The jar comes with a little envelope inside. That's how I buy it. It's available at your local GOOD supermarket (unlike Stater Bros here in SoCal). Try a 'gourmet' supermarket...

Ok, confession time. My focus regarding food is on the consumption and not the preparation.

WendyE –

I’ll have to ask my wife about the steeping issue because I don’t have the foggiest notion about it.

Not to digress to far but, my wife uses some ‘threads’ in the Easter bread she makes every year for the celebration of His rise. She also uses anise and raisons in the bread.
Sorry, I had to wipe my keyboard off – drooled all over the darn thing.

I should have taken more time with Kimberley’s suggestion. I went back to the Penzey site and found a rather good explanation of saffron at http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-local/SoftCar...b0492+979984823 .

CaliBasco, it is available on line at the above link. Three different types ranging in price from $41.95 to $57.95 per ¼ ounce jar.

Also a correction to my earlier post - saffron is the stigma and not the stamen of the flower.

All of which brings me back to - can I bring it back into the USA from Spain legally?

Sol:
I've been bringing saffron back with me from every trip to Spain for decades. I've never had a problem.
Cantabene

Wendy E, I crush the threads with the back of a spoon before adding it to the dish, and get quite an explosion of color. (I've heard of steeping it in hot water, but not vinegar. I haven't tried either way.)

WendyE

Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. Regarding the ‘steeping’ issue-

On page 176 of The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas, the author gives a one-paragraph explanation of her view of saffron (…-imported from Spain and in strands,…) and on page 178, in her recipe for Paella a la Valenciana, she states “Heat the broth with the saffron…”

I could not find any reference to steeping saffron in vinegar.

The book is available through MM’s AllSpain page at http://www.madridman.com/market/books/food.html .

The book should also be available at your local public library.

Catabene-

Thank you.

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 02-07-2001).]

A bit off topic but if anyone is looking for a good fundraiser, we (the Spanish/Latino/whatever you want to call it club) sell saffron at school. I load up on it when I return from Spain and the kids sell it to their parents and the community. You can take orders before you go to Spain so you're not stuck with a pound of saffron (heaven forbid- paella everyday for life)!!!

I got so hungry reading this thread I had to go make a paella! Now I have tons of leftovers. All are invited!

[This message has been edited by nevado (edited 02-10-2001).]

Hello

I just posted these links on the "sneaking jamon" thread, but just in case...
www.customs.gov/travel/travel.htm and www.aphis.usda.gov/travel

Both of these sights list some good guidelines regarding foodstuffs and their entry (or refusal) into the United States. Good Luck!

Kimberley

Hey thanks for the saffron advice. I got a Penzey's catalogue in the mail and will make some paella this weekend.