Walk through any Persian or Turkish market and you'll see jars of fine orange-red threads that look, at a glance, remarkably like saffron. They cost a fraction of the price. They are not saffron.
They're safflower — Carthamus tinctorius — known in Iran as golrang, kajireh or kafisheh, and in English by the rather unkind nickname "false saffron" or "bastard saffron." And once you understand what it actually does, it earns a place in your kitchen on its own terms.
What Safflower Is — and Isn't
Safflower is a thistle-like flowering plant grown across Iran, India and the Mediterranean. The dried petals are harvested from bright orange blossoms and sold loose, as fine soft threads.
What it does brilliantly: colour. Safflower petals contain carthamin, a pigment that releases a warm golden-yellow into water and a reddish tone in alcohol. It's used commercially to colour dairy products, confectionery and liqueurs.
What it doesn't do: replace saffron's flavour. This is the honest part, and we'd rather say it plainly than let you find out after cooking. Real saffron has a distinctive honeyed, hay-like, almost metallic aroma from compounds safflower simply doesn't contain. Safflower's own flavour is very mild — faintly grassy, slightly bitter, mostly neutral.
So: if your recipe needs saffron colour, safflower does the job beautifully for a fraction of the cost. If your recipe needs saffron taste — a proper chelow kabab, a serious biryani, a Milanese risotto — nothing substitutes for saffron.
Being clear about this is also a consumer protection issue. Safflower is one of the most common adulterants sold as cheap "saffron" to unsuspecting buyers. Sold honestly under its own name, it's a useful ingredient. Sold as saffron, it's a scam. We sell it as what it is.
How to Tell Safflower from Real Saffron
Useful whether you're cooking or checking that expensive jar someone brought back from holiday:
- Shape. Safflower petals are flat, soft and irregular, often with a tiny fringe. Saffron threads are slender trumpets, wider at one end.
- Colour. Safflower is orange to orange-red throughout. Saffron is deep crimson, sometimes with a pale yellow style attached.
- Quantity for the price. A generous 25g jar for RM14 is safflower. That much real saffron would cost hundreds of ringgit.
- The water test. Drop a few threads into warm water. Safflower releases colour quickly and the petals fade toward pale. Real saffron releases golden colour slowly and the threads keep their red.
- Smell. Saffron is unmistakably aromatic. Safflower is nearly odourless.
What Safflower Is Actually Good For
1. Natural golden colour, affordably
This is the main event. A pinch steeped in hot water gives you a golden liquid you can stir through rice, soups, stews, breads and desserts. For everyday cooking — where you want the look of a golden pilaf without spending saffron money — it does exactly what you need.
2. A mild floral tea
Dried safflower petals are used as a herbal tea across Iran, Central Asia and China, either alone or blended. The infusion is pale gold and very mild. Note the safety section below before making this a daily habit.
3. A traditional remedy with a long history
Safflower appears in Persian, Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine, most often in connection with circulation and menstruation. We want to be careful here, because the traditional and modern pictures point the same direction: safflower has genuine physiological activity, and that activity is exactly why some people must avoid it. See below.
How to Use It
The basic method (do this first)
Steep a small pinch of petals — about ¼ teaspoon — in 2–3 tablespoons of hot water for 10–15 minutes. Strain, and use the golden liquid. Steeping first gives even colour; throwing dry petals into a pot gives you orange specks and patchy results.
In cooking
- Golden rice — stir the steeped liquid through cooked rice, or over a portion of it for the classic two-tone Persian look.
- Soups and stews — add the liquid to broths, lentil soup or chicken stews for warmth and colour.
- Bread and cakes — golden sponge, saffron-style buns, sweet breads.
- Rice puddings and desserts — sholeh zard, kheer, milk puddings.
- Marinades — mixed with yogurt, garlic and salt for chicken.
- As a garnish — a few dry petals scattered over rice or salad for colour.
A Malaysian note: it works nicely for tinting nasi kunyit-style rice, kuih, agar-agar and bubur when you want a golden tone without a strong turmeric flavour. Unlike turmeric, safflower adds almost no taste of its own.
How much: ¼ to ½ teaspoon of petals colours a family-sized pot of rice. A 25g jar lasts a very long time.
Why Mahnaz Food Bahar Safflower
- Sold honestly as safflower — clearly labelled, never passed off as saffron
- Generous 25g jar at RM14.08, reduced from RM16.00
- Resealable jar that keeps the petals dry and protected from light
- Part of the Bahar range — our Persian and Middle Eastern ingredient line
- Muslim-friendly sourcing, in line with what Malaysian families expect from Mahnaz Food
- Nationwide delivery plus branches you can visit
- Buy 6, get 1 free across the store
If you also want the real thing for special occasions, we stock genuine saffron products too — the two work well side by side: safflower for everyday colour, saffron for when the flavour matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is safflower the same as saffron? No. Different plants entirely. Safflower gives colour cheaply; saffron gives colour and a distinctive aroma, at roughly a hundred times the price.
Can I use it instead of saffron in a recipe? For colour, yes. For flavour, no. In a dish where saffron is the star, the difference is obvious.
Does it taste of anything? Very little — faintly grassy with slight bitterness. That neutrality is part of why it's useful as a colouring.
Is it the same as safflower oil? No. Safflower oil is pressed from the seeds and is a completely different product with a different composition. This jar contains dried petals.
Can I drink it as tea? Occasionally, if you're not pregnant, not on blood thinners and not allergic to the daisy family. Read the safety section first.
How should I store it? Airtight, cool and dark. Light fades the pigment, which is the whole point of the product.
Golden colour without the saffron price
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This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Safflower should be avoided during pregnancy and by people taking anticoagulant medication. Speak to a healthcare professional before using any herb therapeutically.