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Bakery Stall · Saffron-Spiced Bread

Cornish Saffron Bun

Cornish Saffron Bun — street food from Cornwall, United Kingdom
Photo: Nenniu / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cornwall still bakes with saffron more than almost anywhere else in Britain — a habit traced back to trade links between Cornish merchants and the Mediterranean.

A rich, yeasted dough studded with currants and sultanas is tinted golden with saffron, then baked into loaves or individual buns. Cornish bakeries sell them sliced and buttered as an everyday treat, not just for special occasions.

Why it's made this way: Saffron likely arrived via Cornwall's ancient trading connections abroad, and the county held onto the habit of cooking with it long after the spice fell out of everyday use elsewhere in Britain.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries. Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below. Photo credits.