3) Saffron

Saffron ([i]azafrán[/i] in Spanish is an essential ingredient in paella and is great to add to a number of dishes. As a chef once said to me: saffron is expensive, if you're going to use it all, you may as well use enough so you can actually [i]taste[/i] it. To do that you're going to have to buy it cheaply, and there are few places cheaper than in Granada. The stalls around the cathedral also sell some other excellent spices too – locally grown mint and lavender as well as some excellent teas ([i]té Pakistani[/i] is my favourite – black tea with cinnamon, vanilla and cardamom pods).