Kashmiri vs Iranian Saffron: What Is Actually Different

Walk into any spice market in India and you will find both. Iranian saffron is everywhere and reasonably priced. Kashmiri saffron is scarce and costs more. Both are the same plant, Crocus sativus, so the differences come down to soil, climate and how the threads are picked and dried.

Where it grows

• Kashmir: almost all of it comes from the karewa plateaus around Pampore, a few thousand hectares in total. The harvest lasts about three weeks each autumn, and much of it is still picked and separated by hand.
• Iran: the provinces of Khorasan grow the large majority of the world's saffron, on a far bigger scale and with more mechanised processing.

Colour and strength

Kashmiri Mongra threads are a deep, dark crimson and tend to be thick and fleshy. That depth of colour comes from crocin, the compound that turns milk and rice gold. Good Kashmiri saffron routinely tests high on crocin, which is why a few threads go a long way.

Iranian Negin and Sargol grades are bright red and very clean. They are excellent saffron, and some top Iranian lots match or beat average Kashmiri saffron on a lab report.

Aroma and taste

People who cook with both often describe Kashmiri saffron as earthier and more honeyed, and Iranian as sharper and more floral. This is subjective, and it changes with freshness. A fresh Iranian lot will beat a three-year-old Kashmiri one every time.

The GI tag

Kashmiri saffron carries a Geographical Indication tag, which legally protects the name. Only saffron grown in the defined Kashmir region can be sold as Kashmiri saffron.

Which should you buy?

• For everyday cooking in biryani, kheer or tea, a good Iranian Sargol is perfectly good and costs less.
• For colour, depth and gifting, or when the saffron is the point of the dish, Kashmiri Mongra is worth the difference.

Whichever you choose, ask for the lab report. A seller who will not show one is asking you to trust them on the one thing that is easiest to fake.