Saffron

Undoubtedly the most characteristic Iranian flavour. You need a good-quality saffron to make Iranian dishes sing, and naturally, I’m biased towards Iranian saffron. There’s a good chance any saffron you buy in any Middle Eastern store is Iranian, even if the brand says otherwise. Due to American sanctions on Iranian trade, saffron farmers have been suffering to the point of losing their family livelihoods, resulting in desperate measures to sell their ‘red gold’, such as smuggling it to Afghanistan and even Europe, and selling it under non-Iranian labels. Read how to prepare saffron.