Saffron - spice of the Mancha
At over 2,000 euros (almost $3,000) the kilo (2.2 lbs), you’d think everyone would be investing in the farming of saffron. However, harvesting this precious spice is back-breaking work. Not to mention, just consider how many of the feather-light stigmas you actually have to collect in your basket to reach a kilogram of weight, and you’ll see why it is still such a rare and expensive addition to our cooking.
But saffron is not only a food condiment. There are other reasons why it is so prized. This spice has been around for thousands of years, originally harvested by the ancient Greeks, and has been used throughout history around the Mediterranean and Asia for a variety of purposes, from the dying of cloths, to medicinal tea. Now, you can find it being used in numerous creative ways in our cooking, from the classic Spanish paella, to ice cream.
What makes it so special?
Probably the main reason saffron was so sought after in ancient times was because of its use in herbal medicines, for everything from gastrointestinal illnesses to the application of poultices on cuts. Because of its pungent odor, it also served as a perfume, for the home or one’s person.
And in Asia, as a dye, it provides a lovely and uniform color to cloths.
How did it come to Spain?
Apparently, it was the Moors who first brought the spice to Spain, planting crops throughout the south, from Castilla La Mancha down to Andalusia.
Nowadays, saffron continues to be grown throughout these regions, including Valencia and parts of Castile. And, now, thanks to the Consejo Regulador D.O. “Azafrán de la Mancha”, the regulations council of the D.O. of the Castilla La Mancha saffron, this precious spice is being grown and sold more extensively and according specific guidelines and guarantees of quality control and place of origin. There are four areas of the Mancha region, and in each of these, each town mentioned in the list provided by the council, produces saffron to be sold on the market. The most renowned area is Camuñas, in the Mancha de Cuenca. In fact, the people of La Mancha lay claim that the best saffron in all of Spain is cultivated there and that this has been the case since the early nineteenth century. Proof of the strong local ties with this spice can be found, according to the D.O. representatives, in the local lore, folk songs and sayings that include reference to saffron. Above all, one of the most famous zarzuelas (popular operetta) of the area is titled, aptly, “La Rosa de Azafrán”, the Saffron Flower. Festivities that involve saffron include the Fiesta de la Rosa del Azafrán, celebrated in the town of Consuegra the last weekend of October every year, the harvesting contests celebrated in the town of La Solana and the Festival de la Rosa del Azafrán which takes place in the town of Santa Ana. Not to mention the tradition that continues in certain towns of La Mancha to give newlyweds a few stigmas of saffron as a symbolic way of wishing them prosperity.
Outside of La Mancha, down in Alicante, the saffron has gained even further recognition worldwide thanks to the creative use made of it by the Michelin-starred chef and restaurant owner, María José San Román. In last year’s edition of Madrid Fusion, the yearly foodie event that attracts star chefs from around the globe, she kept the audience rapt with her presentation “saffron in technicolor”, showing how the spice can be used to infuse different degrees of color into a variety of foods. This practice is apparently one of her claims to fame in her restaurant Monastrell. Rumor has it that she is currently preparing a book exclusively about the use of the spice, so stay tuned…
In the meantime, here are the lyrics (in Spanish) to the song that the saffron sorter sings at the Museo del Azafrán in Madridejos:
Por los caminos del pueblo
Las mozas vienen y van
Con las cestas en la mano
A recoger azafrán
A recoger azafrán
Por lo caminos del pueblo
Qué bonitos los campos, qué preciosos que están
Con sus hermosos colores, cargador de azafrán
Cargador de azafrán
Qué bonito color
De los frutos manchegos
Se les de más valor
Mi novio va a mi puerta
Y me dice “Sal, hermosa”
Y le digo yo que no, que tengo que mondar rosa
Que tengo que mondar rosa
Que mi novio va a mi puerta
Qué bonitos los campos
Qué preciosos que están
Con sus hermosos colores, cargador de azafrán
Cargador de azafrán
Qué bonito color
De los frutos manchegos
Se les de más valor
O echo la despedida
El corazón se me ensancha
Madridejos es mi pueblo
En el centro de La Mancha
En el centro de La Mancha
Os echo la despedida
Useful links:Saffron Spices www.saffronspices.co.uk
Denominación de Origen Azafrán de la Mancha www.doazafrandelamancha.com
Saffron recipes http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blspice11.htm
History of Saffron in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_saffron
