Ok… this is going to be a food post, it’s a Friday (I posted this on notepad), and what more better things to do then to post on food and think of home (and mamemo and chips and charktiao and oh jian and and and …………)

Get this, tortellini was created because some guy peaked through the keyhole of a dimly lit room where a beautiful lady was changing… he only managed to see her belly button, but that was enough to inspire him to create tortellini !
Uncooked tortellini


Saffron has been dubbed THE MOST expensive spice in the world, with 450gms costing between SGD760 to 7,600, depending on the grade ! What the hell then makes this the worlds most expensive edible thread ??



First off, What is saffron ?
Saffron is basically a kind of spice commonly used in Indian as well as Mediterranean or European cooking. (atleast that’s what I think, I haven’t heard of Chinese recipes which use it. But I do know, one of my favorite dishes, Paella does use it :P though I highly doubt the one made by TCC uses it…..)

Saffron is used to flavour, colour as well as make dishes smell nice. It comes from the a flower. And here is why it is so gawd damn expensive. Get this – EACH flower, produces only 3 threads of saffron. It takes about 13,125 threads (that’s 4,375 flowers) to obtain about 28gms of saffron ! To obtain 450gms, it would take about 70,000 saffron plants produce. AND best of all, it is all hand picked hahas !

Now you know why…. Each packet of 450gms saffron plants would cost you about say SGD1,000 this amount would be used to hire numerous workers to pick AND tend to the 70,000 saffron flowers (and don’t forget that you are not the only one buying the spice, which would mean millions of flowers). Thinking about it, with all the hard work put into growing these threads (about 150 flowers for 1gm of saffron…), it is not that expensive after all…… so, the next time you eat a dish like paella or some dish which you know contains saffron (Hainanese chicken rice ?? lolz….) think of all the work AND acres of manure used to grow the 200+ flowers used in your dish !



The hihly priced (and prized) red-gold threads were considered as an aphrodisiac by kings and pharaohs, yet large amounts produce deathly narcotic effects. AND, Saffron has been used medicinally to reduce fevers, cramps and enlarged livers, and to calm nerves. It has also been used externally to for bruises, rheumatism, and neuralgia. (Warning! Do not use medicinally without consulting your physician.) hahas, imagine using SGD100 worth’s of saffron to relieve the nerves after a night out with loads of booze :P
Saffron is used to cook one of Kio Sai's favs - Paella :P


This post was inspired by the name of the restraunt of sam's website project :P As well as some packaging I came across during my work place (I deal with alot of empty packaging like tomato sacue, speghetti sauce, Heinz baby food etc.. instant tortellini, and I so happened to be hungry when I saw the picture on the package and hour before works end:P)