Saffron
Does anybody know which place has the best deal for the most expensive spice in the world?
Ghostquatre
Nov 07, 2009 11:37AM
8 Replies so Far
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They have really good Iranian saffron at Akhavan. It's not cheap, but IMHO worth the expense.
www.akhavanfood.com
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I agree. You may need to ask for it at the front cash at the far left, they keep it behind the counter. You can get several sizes and it's really good stuff. This is an Iranian-Canadian owned shop with lots of great Persian products, and their saffron is one of them. I find the price quite reasonable, for saffron.
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Yeah I know Marche Akhavan, I got 1g for 8 bucks. So... when you say that it's not cheap, do you mean that there is actually cheaper saffron elsewhere?
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I'm sure it's cheaper most places, usually around $5-6/gram.
If you just want it for colour, you can ask for it at the cash of almost any grocery store. (If you stumble across a big, really cheap bag labelled "American saffron", be warned that I bought this once and it might as well have been a big bag of pencil shavings. This was from Anatol on St-Laurent.)
If you want it for flavour, I strongly recommend spending the extra $2-3. (It's probably more economical, because you can use less to get the same intensity.) If somebody is carrying something just as good for a lower price, then I want to know about it too...
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American saffron is actually safflower and has nothing to do with the real stuff. I've also seen it labelled as Iranian saffron, so caveat emptor.
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Good to know -- it looks a lot like the real deal. Useful as a food colouring, I suppose...
The Iranian stuff at Akhavan is definitely the real thing, though.
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Haven't looked for that specifically, but I can't imagine the Jean-Talon market shop La Depense would not have it?
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Actually, it's La Dépense's sister store, Olives et Épices, that carries it. I recently bought a small metal canister of excellent Iranian saffron -- some of the best I've ever tasted -- for $6 per 0.5 g. From time to time they also stock less expensive Spanish and North African saffrons. Not cheap but superior quality and a little goes a long way.
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