Hello my dear readers,
First of all I would like to thank you all for your support. I do appreciate a lot every single one of you that stopped by and gave your honest opinion, thank you.
Now is time to get started and discover another delightful ingredient of our amazing world. Let’s start 2020 by discovering the most expensive spice in the world: saffron.
Photo credit: Johan Puisais_Xtendo_Pixabay, edited by Popsicle Society
I guess you all heard about the most expensive, ancient treasured red spice called saffron, but let’s discover a little more about it.
Saffron’s Origins
Photo credit: Johan Puisais_Xtendo_Pixabay, edited by Popsicle Society
Where does saffron come from?
Those who know at least a little bit about this precious spice, know that it is obtained from the pistils (stigmas) of a beautiful purple flower that belongs to the Iridaceae family and is called Crocus Sativus.
Among the many varieties of Crocus, the one capable of originating the saffron (the true saffron) is only this.
Normally each bulb of Crocus Sativus, has an average of 3-4 flowers, and each flower contains 3 stigmas inside.
Photo credit: Marc Pascual_Makamuki0_Pixabay
This spice, from always considered, and rightfully, the most precious and rare, is used both as a colorant, but mainly as a condiment.
The origin of its name Crocus has a Greek origin, Kroke, that in fact means “filament”.
Its pistils are precisely filaments, and this is the exact part of the flower from which the saffron is obtained.
Saffron has been giving dishes a golden-yellow hue and an aromatic flavour, since ancient times.
The use of its stigmas is depicted in frescos from Santorini, which are as old as 3600 years.
The origin of saffron has until recently been a subject of speculation. But two independent studies recently have been able to trace its roots back to Greece.
Saffron around the world
8th century BC to the 3rd century AD, in the Greco-Roman classical period, the saffron harvest is first portrayed in the palace frescoes of Minoan Crete, which depict the flowers being picked by young girls and monkeys. One of these fresco sites is located in the “Xeste 3” building at Akrotiri, on the Greek island of Santorini (also known to ancient Greeks as Thera). The “Xeste 3” frescoes have been dated from 1600 – 1500 BC.
Ancient Greek legends says that defiant sailors, hopping to procure the world’s most valuable saffron, used to embark on long and dangerous voyages to the remote land of Cilicia.
Another best known Greek legend regarding saffron is that of the romantic tragedy of Crocus and Smilax: the handsome youth Crocus sets out on a pursuit of the nymph Smilax in the woods near Athens. They enjoy a brief period of idyllic love in which she is initially flattered by the amorous advances. Soon, however, Smilax tires of Crocus. After he continues to pursue her against her wishes, she resorts to bewitching him. He is thus transformed into a saffron crocus flower, with its radiant orange stigmas remaining as a faint symbol of Crocus’s continuing passion for Smilax.
Cleopatra, in the late Hellenistic Egypt, is said that she used a quarter-cup of saffron in her warm baths before encounters with men, in belief that the saffron would make lovemaking more pleasurable. Also, Egyptian healers used saffron as a treatment for all varieties of gastrointestinal ailments and urinary tract conditions.
Photo credit: Ulrike Leone_ulleo_Pixabay
The ancient Greeks and Romans prized saffron for its use as a perfume and deodoriser, scattering it around public spaces such as royal halls, courts, and amphitheatres. And when Emperor Nero entered into Rome, they even spread it along the streets.
The wealthy Romans used saffron in their daily life, using it into baths, as mascara, into their wines, in their halls and streets as a potpourri, and offered it to their deities.
Photo credit: Popsicle Society_saffron, shot with iPhone 11
Roman colonists even took their saffron with them when they settled in southern Gaul, where it was extensively cultivated until the AD 271 barbarian invasion of Italy.
Saffron cultivation in Europe declined steeply following the fall of the Roman Empire and competing theories state that saffron only returned to parts of Spain, France and southern Italy, with 8th century AD Moors or with the Avignon papacy in the 14th century AD.
Saffron-based pigments have been found in the prehistoric paints used to depict beasts in 50,000 year old cave art, in Middle Eastern, what is today Iraq. The Sumerians even used saffron as an ingredient in their remedies and magical potions but they did not cultivate it.
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Photo credit: Johan Puisais_Xtendo_Pixabay
In the 10th century BC, saffron was cultivated in ancient Persia at Derbena and Isfahan. There saffron threads have been found interwoven into ancient Persian royal carpets and funeral shrouds. They also used it as a ritual offering to deities, as a brilliant yellow dye, a perfume, and a medicine.
Even Alexander the Great and his forces used Persian saffron during their Asian campaigns. They used to mix the saffron into their teas and dined with saffron rice. Alexander used saffron in his baths, hoping will heal his many wounds, and his faith in saffron grew with each treatment. In fact, he recommended saffron baths for the ordinary men under him.
Saffron cultivation reached also what is now Turkey, with harvesting concentrated around the northern town of Safranbolu, where they still celebrate the annual saffron harvest festivals.
In India, there are several variants that describe saffron’s first arrival, however beside using it in foods, saffron stigmas were also soaked in water to yield a golden-yellow solution that was used as a fabric dye. They loved so much the vibrant yellow colour that immediately after the Buddha Siddhartha Guatama’s death, his priests decreed saffron as the official colour for Buddhist robes and mantles, which they are using it even today. The dye has been used for royal garments in several cultures.
Photo credit: Popsicle Society_saffron color monk robe
The saffron is mentioned even in ancient Chinese medical texts, one of each is the vast Pun Tsao, “Great Herbal”, pharmacopoeia, a tome dating from around 1600 BC and attributed to Emperor Shen-Ung, which documents thousands of phytochemical-based medical treatments for various disorders.
Nowadays, European Union and UK, try to promote saffron cultivation among impoverished Afghan farmers, as an ideal alternative to illicit and lucrative opium production. Furthermore, Afghanistan‘s sunny and semi-arid climate seems ideal for saffron crocus growth.
Between 1347 and 1350, when the Black Death ravage Europe, the demand for saffron and its cultivation skyrocketed, for its medicinal properties. Large quantities of saffron imports thus came from non-European lands such as Rhodes.
Saffron made its way also to Americas when Alsacian, German, Swiss and Dunkards fled religious persecution in Europe and settled mostly in Pennsylvania.
Since it was held in such high regard, the saffron trade became very profitable, making large quantities of gold cashed. The ‘saffron merchants’, Egyptians, Romans, Arabs, Europeans and Asians devoted themselves to this trade, and so saffron spread widely in those periods with trade and contraband too.
With the development of the saffron trade, rules had to be established to ensure fair market prices and the purity of the contents for each spice pack. The Safranschou code was issued and the fraud was declared punishable by sanctions, imprisonment and death at the stake.
Saffron’s Cultivation
Photo credit: Johan Puisais_Xtendo_Pixabay, edited by Popsicle Society
Crocus Sativus is a bulb that has good resistance even in fairly cold climates, it resists in fact at low temperatures, down to -10 degrees Celsius and even in the presence of snowy periods.
In the absence of a climate with natural humidity, it requires appropriate irrigation.
The bulbs are to be planted in soils with southern exposure and in clayey-calcareous soils, sunny, inclined and well draining, to prevent rotting.
The average depth for planting them is between 7 and 15 centimetres deep and at an average distance of 3-4 centimetres, with some variations that the growers adapt according to the characteristics of each area.
In the period from October to February, leaves and stem develop, then, after the period called retirement, in the first autumn we will witness the first buds and then, towards mid-autumn the flowering.
Nowadays, this highly valuable plant is mainly cultivated in Iran, more than 90% of the saffron production. Due to its strength, saffron is cultivated in small batches even in countries like Switzerland and Germany.
During various periods, saffron has been worth much more than its weight in gold; it is still the most expensive spice in the world.
Why is saffron so expensive?
The harvest, very delicate and always manual, is done early in the morning, over a period of about two weeks. Only two weeks in the entire year.
It consists in picking the flowers containing the stigmas one by one and then in choosing them, always flower by flower.
Afghan women collect saffron flowers in the Karukh district of Herat, Afghanistan, November 5, 2016. Picture taken November 5, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammad Shoib
It takes around 110,000-170,000 crocus flowers to produce just one kilogram of dried saffron or 50,000-75,000 flowers for 1 pound (450 g). To pick around 150,000 crocus flowers are needed around 40 hours of labour. And as such, it comes with a pretty high price tag. You’ll pay $10 to $13 per gram for the real deal.
How to know if it’s the real saffron?
When buying saffron, look for threads that are uniformly long and have an eye-popping color. Don’t bother with broken saffron, saffron powder, or threads that look dull and dusty, they’re not worth the cost.
Also, to make sure you’re getting the best stuff, take a sniff, you want saffron that smells a bit like sweet hay. It should also have all red stigmas, no yellow stamens.
This is definitely one of those spices where it’s worth it to pay more. So-called “bargain” saffron is probably very old or mixed with saffron styles (another part of the crocus) or marigold flowers.
Saffron in the kitchen
Photo credit: Johan Puisais_Xtendo_Pixabay, edited by Popsicle Society
Saffron is responsible for that distinctive bright yellow color and flavor of Italian risotto alla Milanese, French bouillabaisse, Spanish paella, Indian biryanis and special desserts. Like truffles, some people find saffron completely intoxicating and addictive.
How to use saffron?
You only need a few threads to season and color an entire dish. Add them directly to a dish or steep the threads in a bit of the cooking liquid. Sometimes, if I have time I also like to soak the threads for a few hours or overnight in a little water, enough just to cover them, and then I use them in my cooking.
Photo credit: Bruno /Germany_Bru-nO_Pixabay
What does saffron taste like?
Saffron is extremely subtle and fragrant, some say it’s floral, some say it’s like honey, and some would just say pungent. The slightly sweet, luxurious taste is totally enigmatic, can be hard to nail down and it’s tricky to describe but instantly recognizable in a dish.
I know is annoying to say it, but you know it when you taste it. If you’re going for authenticity in dishes like paella, bouillabaisse, or risotto alla Milanese, you’ve got to have saffron. There’s really no substitute for its flavor.
Saffron’s Benefits
Photo credit: Johan Puisais_Xtendo_Pixabay, edited by Popsicle Society
We are used to hear about the virtues of saffron in the kitchen, because it gives us that unmistakable flavor, taste and the ability to give our dishes that intense color, but is also used in medicines, dyes and perfumes.
Even nowadays, saffron continues to be used by practitioners of traditional medicine, and is used to treat such afflictions as asthma, depression, and sexual dysfunction.
The most interesting component of the saffron that make it up is Safranale, which is a compound with great healing properties.
In fact, it is used for its ability to calm anxiety and positively affect our brain activity.
It is rich in Carotenoids and Lycopene, useful in contrasting ageing and also an adjuvant in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
It is able, through its active ingredients, to regulate the action and production of certain neurotransmitters, responsible for our mood, for example norepinephrine and serotonin.
Besides this, it is a powerful antioxidant, active in fighting free radicals and therefore delaying cellular ageing.
It also has an excellent digestive action, it is in fact present in many digestive liqueur preparations and has always been recognized as an aphrodisiac.
Photo credit: Johan Puisais_Xtendo_Pixabay, edited by Popsicle Society
Taking a look back at history, it is clear that, in the past, saffron was sought after primarily for its magical healing powers for a whole range of ailments.
In different countries there is evidence of the use of saffron in traditional medicine, since it has the property of calming and treating simple, as well as serious ailments of infants, children, adolescents, adults and even the elderly.
In India, saffron is used mainly in Ayurvedic medicine.
It may be pricey but we all deserve to treat us well!
Have you ever tried any dishes with saffron? What do you think? Do you like it?
Thank you all for reading.
Join me next time as I will take you with me to discover one day in Milan, Italy 😉
And if you would like to discover more about our food, you may enjoy my previous posts
Wish you a wonderful day!
Love, R
Thank you Madam for sharing such an informative post..!!
In India, saffron is also used for adding aroma and flavours to various cuisines. But I never knew about so many other details and uses of saffron.
Thank you once again..!! Good to learn something new and “delectable” .. 🙂
Thank you very much for taking the time to stop by and read my post! I’m glad you find it informative 😉 Yes, I understand in India is used pretty often in various dishes but also in Ayurvedic medicine 😉
Thank you for sharing! Have a wonderful day!
Thank you Madam..!!
Have a great week.. ☺️
Informative thnx to share
Thank you! I’m glad you think so 😉
Excellent post! Learnt a lot about saffron, thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you very much for your time and kind words Megala! Wish you a wonderful day!
Just such a labour intensive food item.
True!
Very nice post and a lovely tribute to one of my old-time faves.
Thank you so much!I’m really glade you like it!
Fantastico lo zafferano!!!! 😊😊😊😊
Vero! Un ingrediente magico 😉
This is a lot of information regarding Saffron!!
In Hindi language we call it Kesar. I use saffron mostly in milk based sweets for beautiful yellow colour and of course wonderful fragrance.
During winter saffron milk is a lot useful for protection against cold.
Thank you very much for sharing so useful information 😉🤩 I have never tried it with milk but must be really delicious with a very particular taste and gorgeous colour 😉
So much impressive research has gone into this that, had I not known better, I would have thought it wasyour full-time occupation.
Thank you very much Derrick! Very appreciated! I wish it could be a full-time occupation 😉
Detailed work out of Saffron!! Very informative!!! 👌
Thank you Suni! I’m glad you like it! 😉😊🌸
Thank you for such an extensive article! Saffron has a special place in my heart. During our lean, early years, when spending $10 for a pinch of anything was out of the question, my brother and I would gift each other saffron on our birthdays. We did this for years, and I always had a pretty little tin with saffron given to me by him. Sadly, I lost him a few years ago, so my last little tin from him still sits on my spice shelf, and I use this saffron only once in a blue moon for special meals.
Oh, thank you very much dear Dorothy for sharing 💕 what a great idea you two had 💕
A rare and pricy spice that became a wonderful connection between brother and sister 💕
That little tin I guess is pricier than any other saffron tin from this world 💕😉
It is priceless!
Amazing stuff! I did not know Saffron comes from pistils. And, it takes so much to amount to much of anything.
No wonder it is so expensive. I like Saffron. Thanks for starting out the new year with this little know information.
Thank you very much for reading! Is true is the most expensive spice in the world but there’s a reason why 😊 all that hard work 😊
I’m glad you like it 😉
Thank you for this information. I love these posts where you take us on a journey through history to give us the background of a vegetable or spice. I read a few sections of this post out to my husband as he is the Chef in our house.
Thank you very much Anne! I’m really glad you like them 😊 When working on these posts, most of the time I’m puzzled discovering the incredible journey of our food 😊
Our houses are similar, as also in our house the chef is my husband 😉💕
We grow saffron here in Tasmania friends of mine Lisa and Davidttps://www.farmhousedirect.com.au/campodeflorifarm/products grow amazing saffron, and I can tell you first hand how intensive it is to pick and dry, as I have helped with the harvest and the drying. Let me tell you their saffron is grown on the side of a hill and we sat on our bottoms to pick the crocuses. It was delightful work for us. I also enjoyed putting the saffron onto the drying sheets. I love it in hot chocolate during winter, and tea in summer.
Wow! It may be very hard but I guess is a wonderful experience! Thank you very much for sharing it 😉 I have seen different kind of crocuses but not the saffron one…what a beautiful site! So many delicacies 😉😋 Saffron really gives an unique taste to the food or drinks 😉
it is actually relatively easy to grow in the right climate, except it requires lots of weedng. In most commercial operations weed killers are used. I know that they dont use weed killers .
Is like back in the old good days when my grandparents used to have a huge garden and we needed to remove almost daily the weeds because they never used anything to kill them 😉
it is certainly an ongoing battle at my place, I see more and more people at least in Australia and Tasmania growing there own veggies and fruit, having chickens.
I would love to be able to do it too 😉 I grew up with my grandparents that used to grow and eat their own veggies, fruits and animals…I guess it was not bad…
I imagine there was no options, and they were not well off, Yet it is the very life I wish to end my life doing. My desire to travel is appeased with the internet, and I doubt I will be able to afford to travel far from home so travelling the world through peoples journeys and lived experiences, is so much more to me than just going to tourist places.
Probably yes, but also the taste was very different 😋😉 and way much natural 😉
Yes, sometimes travelling from the comfort of our home is very pleasant too 😉 We can discover so many things 😉
I traveled through Scandinavia, into finland Russia and some of its former states, I saw so much but so much was over crowded with tourists such as myself or I did not have long enough to really look at things. The Hermitage I could have stayed in St Petersberg for weeks and probably still missed things. You just get to see so much more on todays documentaries. I tried to take my partner to a sanctuary for gorillas in once for a holiday. Sadly the cost was way out of my budget. I was earning good money back then. Now things seem to be so expensive to go and see. Costs everywhere. Crowds. You probably guessed I am not big on crowds these days. Just going to Hobart is crowded enough for me and its population is 220,000 people, which accounts for 0.93% of Australian population. Oh I am laughing at myself there.
Thank you for a very interesting post. I did not know that saffron had so many healing properties. I have eaten it in paella… but I truthfully would not have acquired a taste for it.
Thank you very much for reading! I guess we have so many things to discover about our food…is really amazing 😉🤩 Paella without it is not paella I think 😉 It has really a unique taste but I can’t really describe it either 😉😊
Hi Ribanna, Even though it is a bit costly here, people still use for lot of purpose, beauty, child health, and lot of health factors behind, and you rightly mentioned about that part ayurvedic medicine. ☺️ Yes it’s famous here and bit pricey. Took a bit of time to read it, so does the comment too. Hope you had a wonderful day, wish you wonderful days ahead ✨🤗💐
Hi Simon, thank you very much for your time! I know is too long but while doing it, I couldn’t stop 🤪…there are too many things that I wanted to share with you all 🤪😉
It is a valuable spice indeed, costly but for a reason 😉
I hope your day was great too! 😉🤗🤩
Costly spice definitely need an explanation ✨😉 It’s worth it Ribana✨🤗
Thank you Simon 😉🤩
Hey there 🙂 I have linked you in the 15 Day Blogging Challenge wrap up that has finished now (https://daysixtyfive.com/2020/01/23/15-day-blogging-challenge-wrap-up/). I have listed your blog, as well as provided a thank you for all your contributions to the challenge. I hope you have a lovely day, thank you so much for being a part of the challenge 🙂
Hello, thank you very much for listing my blog! Very appreciated! And big congratulations to you! 15 days is not very easy 🤪
Love the vibrant autumnal colour of saffron.
Thank you very much! It is really pretty!
Thanks Ribby! <3 Wow, I bought Saffron a lot. Paella you know, but I don't used to mind if it's powder or threads. Now I'll keep an eye for that beautiful color and sniff it (if possible) the problem is they are in finished package most of the time.
True, most of the time even the one I buy is packed and can’t smell it…then I look at the price….if it cost very little I know for sure that can’t be the good one 🤪
Fantastic post Ribana! I learned a lot from this one, don’t know if I will ever use the spice though, but I would like to try it. Most spices I can’t eat anymore since they are too hard on my stomach, but I wonder if maybe I could eat this one. Might be worth a try. Thanks for sharing such a wealth of info!!😁😸
Thank you Steve for your time and for reading! Well, saffron compared with the other spices has a mild taste…some can define it as floral, some as honey….honestly I find it very unique and different from all the rest 🤪
Maybe can give it a try 😉
Just have to find some, I have never seen it here, might have to go to a larger city.😀🤔
😅 sometimes is difficult also for me to find it here in Singapore 🤪
I tried looking for it today, but nothing in my little town.🤔🙄
Hmmm…🧐🧐 not sure if Singapore will allow me to send it by posts 🤔🤔
No, not likely. Being a plant it wouldn’t be allowed into Canada either.😕 I could probably purchase it online but who knows what the quality might be.🤔🤷♂️ I might check with my sister, she lives in a large city so should be able to find it.😃😺
Oh yes, there are a lot of restrictions for plants 🌱…every country need to protect their own flora 😊
But yes, for sure in a larger city there is…it is pretty known around the world 😉
Yes, I had heard of it but never knew anything about it before, it just sounds so interesting. It will be interesting to see what it costs here.😳🤪🤔
Well I guess the cost will be pretty much the same around the world…pretty expensive…😊 Here in Singapore for less than 0.5 g I’ve paid around $10…
That wouldn’t be so bad just for a small amount to try it out. I might not be able to eat it anyway. Hmm, I wonder if it could be added to tea?🤔☕😋
Yes…honestly I did not tried it but seems you can add just a few strands of saffron to your usual green tea and will do the magic 😉
Cool, that is definitely something to try!😀😺
Online I’ll not suggest to buy it…as you said who knows what you buy 🤪
Yes, that is so true. Might not even be real saffron.😂🙄
May be other kinds of crocuses 😅😅
Yes, that’s true, and most people wouldn’t likely know if they have never had real saffron.😳😄😄
Very true! Definitely no to buying saffron online 😉
Yep, I will stay away from that idea.🤔🙂
This was the best post!!! I actually bought some saffron for the first time in my life. It has always fascinated me and I want to taste it. I found some recipes I want to use it in. But my question is this: Do you know of a drink made with saffron that tastes good and that you drink every day for health benefits like green tea? Or is it only used in full meal recipes?
Thank you Diane! Honestly I did not tried it in teas but seems you just do the regular tea, green tea or mint tea and add a few strands of saffron in it 😉 Enjoy it! 🍵