How to Buy Real Saffron in Morocco

Moroccan Saffron

Morocco is known for their abundance of spices, particularly saffron. Unfortunately, saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world because of the enormous amounts of labor involved. (The purple saffron crocus harvest lasts only 1-2 weeks in the fall, and it requires 150 flowers to yield 1 gram of saffron threads.) I wanted to see if I could score a deal on saffron (compared to prices in the US), but of course, saffron is also one of the most widely faked spices on the market, so the challenge was on.

There’s lots of information online about how to distinguish real from fake saffron, but having worked with the real thing (and bought the fake version in a sealed container in Turkey), I was confident that my nose would not lead me astray. Real saffron has an intense and distinctive odor; if you can smell the product, it should be pretty easy to tell what you’re buying. If you stick your nose in the jar and don’t smell much of anything, you’re likely being sold safflower, which looks similar but has none of the flavor of saffron. Of course, this does not help first-time saffron buyers or anyone who doesn’t remember what it should smell like. If that’s the case, look for red threads with small bits of yellow on one end and a trumpet-like flare on the other end.

Spices in Tangiers

In Morocco, most spices are displayed open-air in perfectly shaped chiseled cones, but not the saffron, it’s much too valuable. To find that, you have to go inside and look for a glass jar hidden towards the back. I inquired at a few places, who quoted me prices of 40-50 dirhams per gram. In the end, I settled on a vendor in the Tangiers medina for my saffron purchase. This shop sold spices exclusively (no nuts or dried fruits or henna dyes), he had a steady stream of local customers, and when I tried to negotiate on his price (40 dirhams per gram), he proclaimed, “No, that is the price, no zig-zag.” Ok, I can respect that. He did offer me a cheaper “saffron” for 20 dirhams/gram, which turned out to be safflower, but was upfront about saying that it wasn’t the same thing. After agreeing on a quantity, saffron was gently weighed out on a scale (he showed me the reading) and scooped into a plastic envelope.

Stay tuned for paella and risotto and biryani and plov!

Bags of spices in Morocco

2 thoughts on “How to Buy Real Saffron in Morocco

  1. I bought 1 gram of safron in Morrocco, in the town of Ksar el Kebir for 1 Euro per gram, from the leading local juweler. He weighed out on a scale he uses for gold. The quality was right as I later discovered from the person I bought it for. So I think that 40 DH = about 4 Euro’s p/gr is a little bit way too much for it. Premium quality is being sold in the western world at 17-18 Euro’s for 5 gr. So in Morocco it must be much cheaper. I am moroccan and any other one would tell that you’ve been paying rich-western-tourist-price because of your American background. The price was at least 400% to high. And you can always negotiate on the price in Morocco, the only place you can’t do so is the pharmacy and at the tax-office. For the rest, you must negotiate. Even when your being extorted by cops you can negotiate. And otherwise threaten to walk away in order to find some other place where they do zig-zag bla di bla. Even if you’re just faking it. Never seem in a hurry, even if you are, act like your absolutely not. He won’t take the risk letting you walk. That will most of times change their mind, if not all the time. Letting currency walk out of his shop, to be earned by the compatition, not the small business in Morocco way.
    And do lie, they do so too (labeling the 20 DH p/gr quality ‘less’, while it was no quality at all. Never was, and never will be, that’s a lie. Say for example: For your price I might as well buy it from the internet at home, premium Iranian stuff, quality guaranteed – or – I think I wanna wait until I have visited the soutern region in a few days to see if its cheaper over there, as I was told.- even if you not going to Agadir. Stuff is always cheaper in it’s region of origin within the borders of the kingdom – My Moroccan friend buy’s it for much less, every year, what happened? – or my personal favorite I picked up as a kid over there while buying sour milk from peseant women who tend to add water to it and decrease the quality to increase the quantity – For your price sir/madam, no matter what premium royal quality you sell me, your safron is gonna taste sour in my food for that money.

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