ottawa foodies

I was there last night and couldn't find it. Granted, I had no idea what I was looking for either. I've never used or seen it. My friend said she thinks her husband gets it at loblaws.

Does anyone know where I can get some?

I usually get it at Bulk Barn. It's in small 1-2 gram containers near the herbs and spices

Farmboy has it in thier spice pouches.

Thank you both. Now I feel dumb - I was thinking it was something a bit more exotic than that..I also thought it was yellow, but I guess it's kind of orange right?

You can find American saffron at Loblaws on Rideau St. It's in the herbs and spices corner.
Lapoint in the Market has a better Spanish saffron. Its colour is dark orange with red nouances.

It usually not a powder but rather looks like short intertwined threads - dark orange as mentiond above. So it is not in a normal 'spice jar' but rather in a small clear plastic square box (kind of like a square pill box). So I suggest looking beside the bottles.

For preparation, for saffron, you usually cover with a bit of hot water and let sit then use the water to flavour and colour a dish and throw out the used threads.

I'm using it in Arroz con Pollo, so I guess I'll need the Spanish type. Do you know if there's a big difference in the flavours? My Cuban friend said she sometimes uses paprika and turmeric in this dish if she doesn't have saffron on hand...

I know you're saying why not just ask her? It's a bit difficult because she's deaf and we only communicate on MSN now she's gone offline...

Also, if you're looking in a regular grocery store, they DO have saffron in regular spice jars, however it will not be lose in the jars, it will be in a folded up foil-lined white paper pouch stuffed inside the jar - which may be why you found it hard to spot in the spice rack.

Also, for almost any spice, go to Herb and Spice on Wellington (or the Bank one I suppose) - they have just about every spice in bulk, so you don't have to buy a whole jar for one recipe, you can just buy the tbsp or so that you need. I've seen the saffron in the clear plastic boxes there too.

Yeah, I've seen the saffron in plastic boxes at several Loblaws stores -- the tricky part is that they're usually fairly close to the floor, below the spices in jars and a bit to the left. ;-)

I was about to recommend Portuguese stores where I've seen super cheap saffron (like two or three bucks for about a cup's worth) but decided to do a bit of digging first. Here's what the wikipedia page on Saffron says:

Common saffron substitutes include safflower (Carthamus tinctorius, which is often sold as "Portuguese saffron" or "assafroa") and turmeric (Curcuma longa).

So there you go... if it's cheap it aint saffron! :-)

I get Spanish saffron at Indian groceries--they pretty much all have it, generally behind the counter so you have to ask for it. Vaishali's (my favourite Indian grocer, by the way) has a box about the size of a deck of cards for 12 bucks or so--lasts me a couple of years and does not seem to go bad. Having it around (and having it not be bizarrely expensive) makes me use it more frequently--saffron rice can become a weeknight thing!

It is not the world's best saffron, to be sure, but it works great for me.

My favourite application, aside from paella: Saffron and tupelo honey ice-cream--always a crowd pleaser.

Saffron is about 4$ for a little baggie at Grace on Bank street. I can't say if it is "top-quality" or not, but it definitely gives great colour and that subtle metallic tang to dishes that call for it.

I usually get most of my spices at Grace. They're generally better quality and cheaper than the grocery stores. And they have a really wide selection. And it's nice to support a local business! :)

Most "Spanish" saffron is actually grown in Turkey and shipped to Spain where it it packaged and labeled as Spanish.

I use Iranian saffron which I at Alpha foods on Main street (near ma home)
they have it at Loblaws/Rideau but you have to ask for it at the service desk as it was frequently being pocketed

No WAY! I live a couple of blocks away and I just ordered some Iranian saffron from the States. Thanks for the tip!

Here is the low down on Saffron.

www.saffron.com/what.html

It's expensive because it is harvested by hand, one stigma at a time.

Funnily enough I just happened to be looking at saffron at my local YIG (Billings Bridge). It was just in the same spice rack with all the other herbs and spices. (McCormicks? Club House? The glass bottles with the green plastic lids.) It made me laugh because instead of being a full jar of saffron, it was an empty bottle with a folded up envelope inside. I think the label said 2g.

An (almost) empty bottle because:

1) McCormicks want to use their trade mark bottle to standardize process handling and shipping and also to fit their store display's.

2) Brand recognition for the consumer.

3) They want you to feel your getting something for your money, considering the high price they charge, relative to ethnic food stores.

Loolica - I've seen those same jars before... it too made me laugh. But then again if they "filled" the jar with any real quantity the price would be unbelievable, no one in their right mind is going to want to pay say $25 or more dollars for a jar (forget the fact that one would never use it in a timely manner).

Does anyone know what happened to Alpha foods on Main Street? I used to get Iranian saffron there. I went last weekend and the store is not there anymore. Did it close or has it moved elsewhere? Are there any other places in Ottawa selling good quality Iranian saffron?

Try at Arya or Shiraz.

I buy online five grams of saffron each year (plus a quarter-pound of vanilla beans) from www.saffron.com. Excellent price and quality.

Last time I was at Rainbow Foods, they had saffron from both Iran and the UK.

I definitely saw multiple types of Saffron for sale at Shiraz Market on Somerset West in Chinatown. They have other Iranian things there so you might be in luck!

I've been seeing it at Winners recently, if you don't mind saffron that's been around the block a bit.