Description
The saffron plant, also known as Crocus sativus, is a perennial plant that comes from the iris family. It is grown for its pistils, which provide the expensive spice saffron. The plant has a delicate lilac flower that blooms in the fall and can only be harvested for a few weeks each year. Harvesting saffron is very labor intensive as the pistils must be hand picked, but the spice is highly prized for its distinctive aroma, flavor and bright yellow colour.
Sargol saffron is one of the best known and highest quality types of saffron and is obtained from the hand-picked, bright red pistils of the crocus blossoms. These threads are carefully hand-harvested and then dried to obtain the intensely fragrant and aromatic spice. Sargol saffron is prized for its strong aroma, bright red color and high content of crocin, the coloring agent in saffron. It is used in many culinary applications to flavor dishes such as rice, soups and stews and to give an intense yellow color.