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Spanish Saffron - The World's FinestSaffron has always been one of the world's most precious products. Crocus sativus is thebotanical name of a crocus that originally came from Asia Minor, where it has been cultivated since ancient times. The Moors brought with them the spice az-zafaran during their invasion of Spain over a thousand years ago, Today over 70% of the world's production is grown on the high Castilian plateau known as La Mancha.
The farmers pluck the flowers between their index fingers and thumbs and bring them to women who sit at long tables. They separate the reddish stigma with blinding speed. Finally the stigma are roasted on a sieve – over charcoal in earlier times, now by gas burners. About 200 crocus flowers are needed to obtain the single gram of saffron you see in our small glass jars. The average harvest obtained by an individual family is 8 pounds. Since the earliest of times saffron dried and preserved in the closet between layered sheets has acted as a savings bank for rural families. The Fiesta de la Rosa del Azafrán is the high point of the year in the town of Consuegra. On the last Sunday of October, at the foot of the large white windmills, the farmers celebrate with music and dancing, and chose a local maiden to be crowned Dulcinea de la Mancha in honor of the beloved of Don Quijote. Professionals rate saffron in terms of the intensity of its flavor and the depth of its color. Since the difference is not readily visible, many times the saffron you find at the local store is not grown in La Mancha and is of lesser quality. The saffron you buy from La Tienda is the select grade -- the highest rating possible. |
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Each year in October the crocus flowers open up in the depth of the night. At dawn there is a breathtaking purple carpet as far as the eye can see. At that moment people from Toledo to Albacete drop everything and rush to the fields, for all the saffron crocuses must be gathered before dusk, otherwise they lose their flavor.