Editing Saffron (section)

===Consumption===
[[File:Saffron soak.jpg|thumb|left|Saffron threads soaked in hot water prior to use in food preparation]]
Saffron's aroma is often described by connoisseurs as reminiscent of metallic honey with grassy or hay-like notes, while its taste has also been noted as hay-like and sweet. Saffron also contributes a luminous yellow-orange colouring to foods. Saffron is widely used in Persian,<ref>{{cite book|last=Simmons|first=Shirin|title=A Treasury of Persian Cuisine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=87KOW40HThAC&pg=PT37|date=October 2007|publisher=Stamford House Publishing|isbn=978-1-904985-56-3|pages=37–38}}</ref> Indian, European, and Arab cuisines. Confectioneries and liquors also often include saffron. Saffron is used in dishes ranging from the jewelled rice and ''[[khoresh]]'' of Iran,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepersianfusion.com/persian-jewelled-rice-with-lamb-gheymeh-nesar/ |date=11 July 2017 |title=Persian Jewelled Rice with Lamb (Gheymeh Nesar)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepersianfusion.com/chicken-aubergine-stew-bademjan-ghooreh-mosama/ |date=20 August 2017 |title=Persian Chicken & Aubergine Stew (Bademjan-Ghooreh Mosama)}}</ref> the Milanese ''[[risotto]]'' of Italy, the ''[[paella]]'' of Spain, the ''[[bouillabaisse]]'' of France, to the ''[[biryani]]'' with various meat accompaniments in South Asia. Saffron is also used in the preparation of the ''Golden Ham'', a precious dry-cured [[ham]] made with saffron from [[San Gimignano]] in Tuscany.{{cn|date=January 2024}} Common saffron substitutes include [[safflower]] (''Carthamus tinctorius'', which is often sold as "Portuguese saffron" or "açafrão"), [[annatto]], and [[turmeric]] (''Curcuma longa'').<!-- Saffron is identified as "E164" under the European Union [[E number]] food additive code system. --> In [[Middle Ages|Medieval Europe]], turmeric was also known as "Indian saffron" because of its yellow-orange colour.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Prance |editor1-first=Ghillean |editor2-last=Nesbitt |editor2-first=Mark |last1=Pickersgill |first1=Barbara |author-link=Barbara Pickersgill |date=2005 |title=The Cultural History of Plants |publisher=Routledge |page=170 |isbn=0-415-92746-3}}</ref>{{clear left}}