The word, saffron, has contradictory implications. On the one hand, it is the most expensive spice providing exotic tastes in sweets and savouries--mostly consumed by maharajas and the like.
On the other hand, it is the colour signifying sacrifice and renunciation--the colour worn mostly by monks and renunciates. Medically, saffron has a highly rated curative value.
Saffron, the spice, is native to Southwest Asia and is harvested from the saffron crocus (a small yellowish flower) (Crocus sativus). By itself, saffron has a bitter taste and a strong fragrance. It is called kumkuma poo (flower of kumkum) in Tamil; kesar, zafran inHindi, Kumkumpoovu in Telugu and Kumkuma Hoova in Kannada.
It grows in moist environments, such as Kashmir, where annual rainfall averages 1,000-1,500 mm (39–59 inches). Rain immediately preceding flowering boosts the saffron yields and they grow best in strong sunlight. So planting is done in fields that slope towards the sunlight.
Harvesting has to be done fast, after blossoming at dawn, as flowers quickly wilt as the day progresses. About 150 flowers yield one gram of dry saffron threads. In other words, to produce 12 grams of dried saffron, one kg. of flowers are needed. One fresh-picked flower yields an average 30 milligrams of fresh saffron or seven milligrams of dried saffron.
History of Cultivation
The history of saffron cultivation goes back to more than 3,000 years, to the late Bronze Age in Crete. Saffron’s use in the treatment of over 90 illnesses has been documented over the span of 4,000 years.
The bountiful Kashmir Valley was part of the great Harappan and Indus Valley civilisation which flourished in 2nd millennium BC. The crocus was brought to Kashmir by Persian immigrants. From Kashmir the use of saffron spread to China, probably through the Mongols. The Turks and Vikings carried it
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