Spices
Iranian Saffron
زعفران
Iran
Saffron from Khorasan, where the overwhelming majority of the world's crop is grown and hand-picked in a three-week autumn window.

Original eatfuls sticker artwork
What it is
A closer look at Iranian Saffron.
Saffron from Khorasan, where the overwhelming majority of the world's crop is grown and hand-picked in a three-week autumn window.
What to look for
Know it when you find it.
Buy whole threads, deep red with no yellow style attached, and never powder. Sargol is the top grade.
Where it belongs
Origins and
traditions.
Food rarely respects a border. These are the places the dataset connects most strongly to Iranian Saffron.
Names around the table
One food, more than one name.
Keep exploring
If this caught your eye…

Absheron Peninsula, Azerbaijan
Absheron Saffron
Zəfəran
Saffron grown on the Absheron peninsula near Bilgah, the only place in the region where it is cultivated at scale.

Guam
Annatto
Roucou
The red seeds of the Bixa orellana shrub (lipstick tree); used as a condiment and natural food coloring; gives dishes a deep orange-red colour; a staple ingredient in French Guianese and Amazonian cuisine.

Herat, Afghanistan
Herat Saffron
زعفران هرات
Saffron grown around Herat, hand-picked at dawn in autumn and repeatedly rated among the world's best.

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Venezuela
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Small wrinkled chilli that looks like a habanero and smells like one but carries almost no heat, the aromatic base of every sofrito.

Peru
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Peru
Ají Mirasol
Sun-dried ají amarillo with a sweet-fruity flavor used in Peruvian sauces and stews.

Peru
Ají Panca
A dark, sweet-fruited Peruvian chili used dried and ground in marinades, adobos and stews.
