Secrets of the Sophisticated Spice Saffron
Growing Saffron in California
We have all tasted it. Many have smelled it and a few have also cooked with it. However most of us know very little about it. It is Saffron, the world’s most expensive spice.
While exploring the Great Market Hall in Budapest we saw a number of spice shops.
“Wow!” exclaimed my bride, “look at how inexpensive the saffron is.” Labeled as Hungarian Saffron, the 10gm (0.35 oz) packets were just over a dollar each. She bought a handful of packets to gift to her friends in California.
A few days later, we got to visit a saffron farm in Dürnstein, Austria — about 50 miles from Vienna — and got an education on saffron from a local farmer.
The reason the Hungarian Saffron was so cheap, was because it was fake!
The Austrian saffron farmer, Bernhard Kaar, had discovered a manuscript in the local Melk Abbey written in 1797. The manuscript detailed how to grow saffron in that region. Bernhard, a naturalist, was so impressed by the manuscript that he has dedicated his professional career to the renaissance of saffron in Austria.
He, and his wife Alexandria, now have a huge farm and manufacture a number of saffron products including liqueur and chocolates. https://wachauer-safran.at/safrancafe
Where does saffron grow? Saffron in Austria? Not for a century or more. Most of the world’s saffron is produced in Iran, Spain and India. Due to the sanctions on Iran, the Iranian saffron is repackaged in Spain, UAE and other countries and then re-exported under local labels. It is now also grown commercially in Pennsylvania.
Experts like Bernhard can identify the country of origin by the look, color, fragrance and flavor of the saffron.
What is Saffron? Saffron is a spice derived from the stigmas of the saffron (Crocus sativus) flower. A pretty purple flower, each blossom only has three stigmas — threads. It is used to impart a sophisticated and exotic taste to food and perfumes. It is also used in religious ceremonies.
Why is it so expensive? It is the manual, back-breaking, labor-intensive, harvesting and processing that drives the cost up. The flowers grow close to the ground, and it has a very short harvesting period. One has to bend down and harvest the flowers early in the morning.
The flowers are small and the stems are tiny. Then one needs little fingers (or tweezers) to pluck the three threads from each pointy flower. Once dried, the threads are ready to be packaged and shipped around the world.
Can saffron grow in Northern California? “If you can grow grapes, you can grow saffron,” said Bernhard. He gave my wife a handful of bulbs to try. Sure enough, she had beautiful saffron flowers within a month. It is a very hardy flower and likes a well-draining soil with full sun.
The saffron bulbs multiply below the soil each year and have to be separated and re-planted. A few plants can easily multiply and provide you a regular supply of the exotic spice.
Real or fake? As the most expensive spice by weight, there is no shortage of imitations. The imitators take different flowers or fine threads and color them to sell it as saffron. Good saffron is usually packaged in glass bottles and then protected from sunlight in a box.
A simple test is to place a few strands on top of cold water. If the water starts changing color immediately, then it is very likely fake saffron. With pure saffron, it may take some time for the threads to start releasing its golden hue — not red!
Using saffron: Saffron is used in many Spanish, Indian and Iranian dishes. Whether making rice, a paella or desserts, it adds a bold and complex smell and a distinguishing yellow hue. The best way to use it is to take a few strands and put them in a tablespoon of warm milk and let it soak gently for 10 to 15 minutes. With saffron, a little goes a long way.
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S. K. Gupta is a former senior executive of a Fortune 50 corporation. He enjoys researching and writing about the not-so-obvious things in life. Feedback welcome. sk.gupta.us at gmail dot com.
