The most expensive spice of the world: ‘red gold’
There is a spice which was so valuable in previous centuries that its worth only matched gold. The high price of this flavour drew the attention of adulterators and the punishment was cruel; prison or even execution. Saffron is still the most expensive spice of the world.
Saffron is produced from the stigmas of the flower Crocus sativus Linnaeus. Each purple flower has three stigmas and more than 150 flowers are needed to get, after drying, 1 gram of saffron for consumption. Aside from quantity requirements, the harvest is peculiar; it has to be picked by hand and very quickly. The flowers bloom at dawn and wilt soon, herewith the stigmas can easily loose their colour and aroma. Harvest time takes only one or two weeks when the flowers are blooming and the work has to be done in the mornings.
The origin of saffron is questionable but it seems to be sure that it came from the Orient. A wild variant of the plant was painted on cave walls in the late Bronze Age, on the Aegean island of Santorini. Later, saffron was mentioned in historical documents of Assyrian, Chinese and Ancient Egyptian cultures. From remedy to perfume, it was a broad spectrum where saffron was applied during centuries. People offered saffron to their gods and dyed their textiles into a yellow gold colour. Ancient Greeks believed in its healing effects on sleeplessness and hangovers, whereas Arabs utilized it as an anaesthetic. Famous rulers also were fans of saffron. For instance, Cleopatra took saffron baths to make sexual intercourse more pleasurable, Alexander the Great used the plant for healing his wounds.
In the Middle Ages, the value of saffron was equal to gold in Europe. Mass theft and piracy was linked to the saffron trade and in the 14th century the so-called ’Saffron War’ was unleashed when the baron of Bechburg stole 400 kg saffron threads from the merchants of Basel. It took 14 weeks to seize the shipment back. Unbelievably high prices of saffron tempted not only the thefts but there were many criminals who counterfeited the spice. In 1440, the punishment for forgery could be even execution in Nuremberg, so if someone was caught falsifying saffron, he could have paid with his own life for cheating.
In our days, saffron is mostly a spice. A very expensive and quite popular one, though. The price of the spice depends on quality and the place of cultivation. Saffron grows in many countries, like Iran, India, Spain, Italy and Greece. Iran is the largest producer but the Spanish saffron, coming from La Mancha, is recognized as one of the best-qualities in the world. 1 gram of that costs around $11–15 at online stores.
We can taste saffron in various dishes of different cultures. Indians use it in many recipes of rice, sweets and ice-creams. In addition; in Ayurvedic rituals. In Spain it is an indispensable ingredient in paella and fabada, and the famous Italian risotto is unimaginable without saffron. In Saudi Arabia, the Arabic coffee needs saffron and cardamom; furthermore, the Swedes have a tradition to bake saffron bread for St. Lucia’s Day.
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