Dr Oz: Counterfeit Saffron
With so many counterfeit foods out there, it can be hard to tell the real from the fake. Julia Collin Davison from America’s Test Kitchen joined Dr Oz to share a few of her tricks to telling whether a popular spice is the real deal or a fake. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world and gram for gram costs more than gold! Given how expensive it is, saffron gets counterfeited a lot. So how can you tell if you have real saffron in your spice cabinet?
Dr Oz: How To Tell If Saffron Is Real Or Fake
Dr Oz learned how to spot fake saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, from America’s Test Kitchen’s Julia Collin Davison. (jackson3 / Flickr)
Dr Oz: Saffron Test
Saffron looks like fine threads because it’s actually the stems from inside a flower. It has a beautiful rust color with a sweet, mineral-like smell. To make fake saffron, they take the silk from corn and dye them. One test to determine whether you have real or fake saffron is to taste it. Put some threads on your tongue and if it tastes sweet, it’s not saffron. Saffron should taste earthy or medicinal.
Another trick is to put some saffron in some water with baking soda. When you drop the saffron in the water it should turn yellow. If it turns reddish-brown, it’s fake.
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