I promised to do this Edit a long long time ago, I think it was in the Edit about Paella. Now, the time has come for this remarkable ingredient. It can be seen as the most important ingredient for many recipes like paella or bouillabaisse. This week we’re talking about the tiny silky-like threads that make you scratch your head every time you buy them because of their price and quantity.
Amber Gold
The history of saffron is as old as time itself. The expensive spice has seen many applications throughout the years. It is said that Cleopatra herself used to bathe in saffron-infused mare’s milk before seeing a suitor. Minoan women used saffron in cosmetics where it was mixed with red ochre, tallow, and beeswax to make lipstick. In Cornwall each year a festival is held where saffron buns are made and celebrated.
Saffron threads are the stigmas found in the center of the crocus sativus, a purple flower in the Iris family. To produce one pound of saffron you’ll need between 150 and 200 thousand plants, the stigmas are being handpicked from the flowers. If you wondered why saffron is so expensive, there’s your answer.
It is the most expensive spice we have on our planet. It is more expensive than caviar, truffles, vanilla beans, and real Japanese wasabi to name a few. Depending on the state of the market and the origin of the saffron, one pound (0,45 kg) of saffron can go from $16 to $5000. Saffron has always been an expensive item, in certain historic times, the spice was even more expensive than gold. In this Edit, we will visit a few of those periods.
Greeks
Saffron is believed to originate from Greece, however, this is not entirely sure. The Greeks were the first to document the purple flower on a fresco in the palace of Knossos on Minoan Crete. The fresco depicts flowers being picked by young girls and monkeys. The fresco dates back to the 16th or 17th century BC. Another fresco in the palace of Knossos showcases a woman who’s using saffron in order to treat her bleeding foot. However, not only do these frescoes showcase evidence of the existence of saffron in Ancient Greek times but there are also of course myths.
In the Hermes myths, the god accidentally wounds his lover with a discus or quoit, and Krokos perishes. Where his blood falls, the saffron flower grows with the three red styles containing his blood. In another version, Krokos, the lover of nymph Esmilax, was transformed into the plant saffron by Hermes. This explains why nymphs and muses always wore yellow saffron clothing in Greek mythology, which many female rulers later copied.
Asia
As mentioned before, it is not set in stone that saffron originates from the Meddetirean area. The other big contender is East and South Asia which rely on historical accounts gleaned from Persian records. The Persians were the first to use saffron to spice food and teas. This was widely suspected by foreigners of being a drugging agent and aphrodisiac.
Years later, the Persian saffron was heavily used by Alexander the Great and his forces during their Asian campaigns. There, they mixed saffron into their teas and dined on saffron rice. Alexander himself used saffron sprinkled in warm water as a bath. He hoped that it would heal his many wounds, and his faith in saffron grew with each treatment.
Various conflicting accounts exist that describe saffron’s first arrival in South and East Asia. A couple of records suggest that saffron, among other spices, was first spread to India via Persian rulers’ efforts to stock their newly built gardens and parks.
Another theory states that, after ancient Persia conquered Kashmir, Persian saffron crocus corms were transplanted to Kashmiri soil. The first harvest then occurred sometime prior to 500 BC. On the other hand, traditional Kashmiri legends state that saffron first arrived sometime during the 11th and 12th centuries AD, when two foreign and itinerant Sufi ascetics, Khwaja Masood Wali and Hazrat Sheikh Shariffudin, wandered into Kashmir.
The foreigners, having fallen sick, beseeched a cure for illness from a local tribal chieftain. When the chieftain obliged, the two holy men reputedly gave them a saffron crocus bulb as payment and thanks. To this day, grateful prayers are offered to the two saints during the saffron harvesting season in late autumn. The saints, indeed, have a golden-domed shrine and tomb dedicated to them in the saffron-trading village of Pampore, India.
Saffron War
Saffron was rare, expensive, and in high demand right up until the 14th century, when its use soared due to the medicinal applications of the plant in attempted treatments for the Black Death. However, many saffron farmers that cultivated the spice died because of the Black Death and so the demand outstripped the supply. The trade of saffron became of such significance that those found guilty of adulterating supplies were fined, imprisoned, and even executed.
The sale of saffron quickly made merchants extremely wealthy and powerful, which disturbed the declining aristocracy. In an attempt to regain control, a group of nobles seized a large saffron shipment heading to Basel in Switzerland. The stolen cargo would be worth over £300,000 in today’s market.
The theft triggered a 14-week-long war, named the ‘Saffron War’ that lasted until the shipment was returned. Though the cargo was returned in this instance, the saffron trade was plagued with thieves for the majority of the 13th century. Pirates would target saffron bound for Europe, often ignoring ships loaded with gold in preference for this profitable spice.
Nowadays, the market for saffron has become quite stable. However, there is a lot of fake saffron available. Fake saffron can be made of corn silk threads, safflower (an unrelated thistle), coconut filaments, or even dyed horse hair, or shredded paper. Imagine that putting into your bouillabaisse or paella!
It’s quite easy to distinguish between fake and real saffron. Here are a few rules you should follow when buying saffron.
If it doesn’t smell right don’t buy it. Many authorities describe the smell of saffron as sweet. Or many people describe the smell of saffron as paella, which is not very surprising.
If it doesn't look right, don’t buy it. Saffron threads are trumpet-shaped. If a thread does not bulge at one end, it’s a fake. And also, if you rub real saffron between your fingers, your skin will turn yellow/orange.
If it doens’t taste right, don’t buy it. While saffron smells sweet, it tastes slightly bitter, not sweet.