SC - Spices-another source

[Philip & Susan Troy]

> Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 18:23:12 -0500 (CDT)
> From: jeffrey stewart heilveil <heilveil at students.uiuc.edu>
> Subject: Re: SC - Spices-another source
> 
> This may be a heresy, but I was talking with a ornamental horticulturist
> recently who said that saffron was just the anther from a special crocus
> that we are all paying so much to get.  I was wondering if anyone had
> tried using the anthers from any other croci to substitute???
> 
> On another thought, I just picked up some ground red sandalwood, and am
> dying to try it for coloring ability in food...
> 
> Your servant,
> Bogdan

Sandalwood does color food, although it isn't strictly a dye in the
sense that saffron is. It is more along the lines of sprinkling on, or
mixing with, tiny reddish particles. It also is nowhere with saffron as
an aromatic or flavoring: sandalwood tastes a bit like chewing a cedar
pencil.

I suppose it's possible saffron-like stamens could be taken from related
flowers (in fact safflower is used for this purpose) but the flavor and
aroma, not to mention the color, would differ to varying degrees. My
suspicion is that if a perfect substitute for saffron were available to
be discovered in another plant, during the last, say, 1000 years, we
would know about it by now.

Adamantius
- -- 
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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