Saffron 0,5 gr in filaments, (crocus sativus). ID: 649-41

It is a species of lily that contains a pigment so strong that 1 gram is enough to yellow 100 kg of water.

Its yellow color has been used in Byzantine hagiographies and remains indelible. However, it also has important healing properties. The yolk is available in Iran, Spain and its best quality in Greece. We can find it in the wild in Ymittos in many islands of the Cyclades and in Crete of course it is cultivated systematically in the prefecture of Kozani and most of it is exported abroad.

Cooking : Using yolk in cooking will not be difficult at all. There is, however, a golden and inviolable rule regarding quantity: you have to put a little, because if you put more than you need, the food will have a bad taste and smell. I will stick to this point for a moment because it is fundamental.
Although the amount of saffron can vary slightly depending on everyone's personal taste, I give you some elements like a compass:

¼ of a gram is enough for 750 grams. rice,

for one liter of milk is enough 15-20 fibers,

while for bread ¼ one gram is enough for every kilo of flour.

For pasta (spaghetti, noodles, lasagna, etc.), because they boil in enough water and lose flavor and color, you can add more, up to ½ gram per kilo of white flour.

If, after tasting, you want saffron more intense in every meal, increase it by 15-20 fibers each time until you achieve the taste of your taste.
It is better to put the yolk in a little water to get its color before using it. So it is better to stay in the water for 2-3 hours or overnight if you are going to use it in dough. If it is for cooking, it can be left for 15 minutes or more.
The powdered product gives a uniform yellow color, while the whole fibers, especially in some foods such as rice, give a denser yellow color, almost orange, where the fibers remain. Once you have some experience you will be able to do this on purpose for decorative purposes.
You can put the fiber as it is, whole and dry, on top of a food. This method is more suitable for soups.

It is best to use water at natural temperature to soak the yolk and put it towards the end of cooking to retain all its beneficial ingredients.

Properties : It is considered a tonic for the body, emmenagogue, diuretic, antispasmodic, appetizer, helps digestion, stops abdominal pain and kidney colic. Its decoction can be used to treat bronchial and lung diseases. Homeopathy uses the yolk in many cases, the main ones are: in sudden and extreme changes in emotions, in menopausal headaches, in children with nosebleeds, when the eyes sting, in dysmenorrhea, in spasmodic tics.

The crocins contained in the yolk spots are unusual water-soluble carotenoids that have been found to inhibit the proliferation of leukemic cells.

Finally, yolk has been shown to work against certain types of cancer including neuroblastoma, breast cancer and adenocarcinoma of the colon.

Relieves stomach ache

Soothes kidney pain

Stimulates appetite and facilitates digestion, while reducing gastric pain, hysteria, convulsions, whooping cough and nervous colic

Improves acne prone skin with external use

It has antidepressant, anti-aging and anti-cancer properties

Boosts brain function and memory

Lowers cholesterol and has anticoagulant activity

Lowers blood pressure

It has a beneficial effect on people suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's

Helps with asthma attacks, premenstrual syndrome, nausea, digestive disorders, teething disorders

It has aphrodisiac properties.

Active Ingredients : The flower spots when dried contain picrocrocin which forms saffranol, and crocin A strong pigment.

How to use : decoction, infusion, In food