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by Claudio Saponara
There is a lovely substance, precious and yellow as gold, "mined"
in Italy... know what it is? Saffron! The name comes to us from the
Latin safranum, a descendent of the Arabic zaferan, while the plant
itself seems to have been introduced from the Middle East by a Domenican
friar around 1300. It has since taken root, quite literally, throughout
Italy, though present day cultivation of the precious spice is concentrated
in the plains around Navelli in Abruzzo. There are, however, several
minor areas of production in
Some 200,000 flowers and hours of patient, tiring work are needed to produce just one kg (2 lbs) of saffron. The saffron bulbs are planted in spring and the flowers are harvested between October and November, depending upon weather conditions. The 25-day harvest is a more delicate operation than may be imagined, as the flowers must be gathered in the early morning hours, while the violet blossoms are still closed around the invaluable yellow stamens of the Crocus Sativus 1 kilo of powdered saffron (the so-called "gold dust"), is the result of an involved 2-month sequence of drying, toasting and pulverizing procedures. Needless to say, the time and labor invested in saffron are reflected in its high price, resulting in the curious fact that saffron is the food item most often stolen: light, east to conceal, easy to resell and very, very profitable. Read your labels carefully and don't fall for inexplicably low prices -- given the high cost of the real thing, there are quite a few imposters on the market! Navelli (Aquila-Abruzzo) The cultivation of saffron has for centuries characterized
the Navelli plain. A passion for this spice and its cultivation has
been handed down from generation to generation here, where the saffron
produced is said to be the best in the world. Navelli is an interesting
little village with a medieval aire, dominated by a Palazzo dating back
to the second Renaissance and an impressive mural. There are a number
of intriguing piazze and palazzi stringing together the numerous alleyways
and churches which lend the village its charm. |
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"Gold" mining in Italy
Saffron
Bandits 
These
days, the versatile saffron is used almost exclusively in cooking, refining
pasta and rice dishes as well as soups, meat, fish, vegetable sides,
sweets and liqueurs such as Zaff 99, an optimal winter shooter and super
on ice cream in summer. The fact is, however, that the use of saffron
in medicine proceeded its use in the kitchen by several centuries. At
one time, golden saffron powder was used to treat bronchitis and cough,
as an oral disinfectant and even as a sexual stimulant to treat cases
of frigidity! Recently, nutritionists and dietitians have rediscovered
the importance of saffron, extolling the virtues of its vitamin content
(B1 and B2)as well as its high levels of Beta Carotenes. Its impressive
to note that it's only about 1000 richer in benefits than many vegetables!