Saffron for purchase in Spain...hints, please
 

Any good places to get saffron? and what does one need to be aware of in the case of fake, etc.

El Corte Inglés sells it in little plastic boxes as do many places. I have no idea how to tell fake from real, but would stick to reputable shops and market places.

In Castellano it's azafran: a little detail that might help

Generally the big stores will sell genuine saffron but at high prices. I'd suggest going to the main market of the town/city you're in where the locals shop and buy it there.

Depends on where you are in Spain, but the main market in Barcelona just off the Ramblas is a good example.

Every supermarket will have small plastic boxes and you do not have to pay the high prices of El Corte Inglés.

Real saffron is sold in small flat pill-box like boxes, with three stems. You can also find it ground in small envelopes.
Cheaper option is Cúrcuma (turmeric, a different variety of saffron)for the taste; or if you just want to color your dish, ask for "Colorante alimentario".

josele - will we be able to find this in a supermercado?

by the way- ¡hola! josele, ahora sonomos en Mengibar. El clima es muy caliente.

Turmeric is NOT "a different variety of saffron." It's a member of the ginger family and completely unrelated to saffron. It doesn't taste anything like saffron and is generally used just to impart a yellow hue to a dish. Do NOT buy turmeric if what you want is saffron!

Cúrcuma, Azafrán de la India (Indian saffron), Raíz de curcuma, Azafrán cimarrón, Azafrán de las Indias
Curcuma longa.
Of course, if you want saffron, buy saffron.
I'll tell my wife, she's the one who cooks here.

pdx, how is the temperature in the evenings and early mornings?

Mengibar was cool (wear a sweater) in the morning and evening. However, everything is on a hill so if you walk you warm up quickly!
We are here in Malaga today, at Hotel Cohiba with reservations at El Caleno this afternoon. I told him your name and he said¨"Josele is a friend of mine!"

Saffron is also sold in glass tubes.

pdx, it is lunch time and you are at the Caleño by now, the Cohiba is very handy for this. Pity about the early shower today, but I see it is clearing. I live on the hills above the Cohiba.
Sarabeth, sorry for this hijack!

Hi

I don't know where you're from but when I brought back saffron from Turkey into Australia it was confiscated. This is despite the product being hermetically sealed.

This is old thread but since it came up, the best place I found to buy saffron in Barcelona is not the Boqueria, but La Ribera, across from the Born market.

Since this old thread resurfaced, I will mention that there is a dedicated saffron vendor at the central market in Valencia who is the best source so far that I have found in Spain. The finest Spanish saffron is from La Mancha; you want to buy threads, not powder. There are various classifications, ascending in price to the finest, coupe grade, which has red-colored threads, as opposed to the less expensive, which will have plenty of yellow in the individual thread.

Never buy ground or powdered saffron; too much chance of it being cut with turmeric, paprika, or inferior grade saffron.

Once you have used the good quality quality in cooking, you will understand why the haunting aroma and flavor command a high price.

When you buy saffron at El Corte Ingles, you know it's the real thing! I buy the little jars with cork stopper and seal for about 10 euros.They make a nice gift -there's usually a tag explaining saffron attached to it.