Saffron (Crocus sativus)
Saffron is a flower from the Iradaceae family the world’s most expensive and prized spice (or herb). Each flower has three crimson stigmas, which are used for spice in cooking, as a coloring agent as well as a medicinal plant. The saffron stigma threads are literally worth their weight in gold and are picked by hand from the centre of each flower. Saffron is among the world’s most costly spices by weight and it requires between 70,000 to 200,000 flowers to obtain a kilo of saffron by weight.
Saffron is believed to originated in Iran or Greece (where it was first propogated) and it slowly propagated throughout Eurasia and globally. The saffron flowers pop out of the ground each autumn for a brief flowering period and are usually picked the same day as they appear before they wilt. The bulk of the worlds saffron crop is picked by hand by women and children in Iran, where around 90% of the worlds saffron crop originates, as well as regions in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Saffron is increasingly it is grown globally from Spain to New Zealand.
Saffron has had a unique impact around the world on various cultures, and religions, sought by merchants, chefs, artists, scientists, clerics, traders, warriors, and black-market smugglers. Saffron’s long history as a spice can be traced back to 50,000-year-old cave art in Mesopotamia. First cultivated by the ancient Greeks, saffron is visible in historic frescoes on Santorini who used it for medicinal and perfume and it increasingly became a trading spice as awareness of its value spread. Saffron was used by the Egyptians as a dye for shrouds of important mummies.
The Romans used saffron as a demonstration of wealth and even used it to cleanse the streets of Rome of unwelcome smells. Saffron petals were stuffed into the cushions of the rich and saffron water often used to scent banquet halls. For Iranians, saffron became a major crop and was key trading product along the silk road through to Asia. Saffron is also the key dye used for the robes of Buddhist monks which are believed to be the closest to what the original Buddha and his disciples wore. Today the orange / saffron colour on the Indian flag is derived from the importance of saffron to India’s religions, Buddhists and Hindus in particular.
Saffron was first brought to western Europe by the Romans and subsequently by the Moors (particularly to Spain) as well as by Crusaders returning from the Middle East. By the Middle Ages Saffron was well known and was even thought to be a cure for bubonic plague despite many saffron farmers dying of the disease. As saffron’s influence and importance (and of course its value) spread globally saffron has become embedded in a number of global cultures and its importance for key culinary dishes such as paella in Spain (due to its ability to impart colour, flavour and aroma).
Saffron has also long been considered a medicinal plant because it possesses therapeutic properties. Saffron has been used for centuries in traditional medicine for the treatment of different syndromes and diseases such as a sedative. It has also been used in the past to treat eye diseases, heal wounds, fractures and joint pain and for many other uses, leading to Pliny the Elder describing it as a kind of panacea.
Saffron’s medicinal potential has been researched in recent years, including its potential to combat oxidative stress and potentially increase dopamine levels to help alleviate symptons of mild drepression. Some inital trial research also suggests saffron may possibly be able to help with Alzheimers symptoms due to its memory-enhancing properties and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Here at Black Teal Bay we have been trialing our organic certified saffron and we hope initial crop will grow as time passes. We currently are using saffron petals in our floral bath salts.
