I’m not a huge fan of word association as a literary device, but when I think of saffron, I think, ‘worth more than its weight in gold’ with the sort of accuracy that would make Pavlov and his dogs so very pleased.
I also think of the Middle East with its balmy souks and pyramids of spices. I don’t think the Maremma, which is a shame because it’s actually one of Italy’s primary producers of saffron. In fact, the Maremma has its own breed of saffron known as Crocus Maremma.
It’s saffron season at the moment. A local farmer recently took an absolute risk by inviting me to dinner and letting me help him and his wife harvest a basket of saffron. I say huge risk because fresh saffron is worth $3 a gram (that’s $1,500 a pound)!
So for this how to eat like a Tuscan food series, I am delving into the world’s most expensive food stuff. For more from my food series, head here!
The basics
It takes roughly 70,000 flowers to produce just one pound of dried saffron. It took me, my husband and the two farmers half an hour to delicately pinch the stigmas from about 50 flowers. Do the math. No wonder it’s so expensive!
The crocus flower is the most vibrant purple colour and smells like honeysuckle. To get the saffron out, you have to gently peel the petals back and break the stigmas off. Each thread has a tiny yellow bit at the end, which the farmer told me is flavourless and worthless, so you have to gently pick that off too without leaving any of the priceless saffron behind.
Most saffron farmers use poorly paid labourers to pick and harvest their saffron. In the Maremma, it’s a small scale business and all the local producers do everything with their own two hands.
You’d think they’d be rolling in money, but saffron is not a widely requested spice. Locals buy it for important events maybe once or twice a year, restauranteurs hardly use it and tourists don’t even know it exists in the Maremma. Most farmers plant it because they have the space and a passion for the spice. My farmer friends have plenty of other crops and sheep along with their saffron.
Saffron is picked at night under the moonlight and has be harvested straight away before the flowers wilt and make it difficult to extract the stigmas. The red threads are then sun or air dried to maintain their pungent flavour.
Buyer’s guide
Saffron is a bit like vanilla essence, it is very easy to get duped! Because it’s so expensive and so desirable, there are plenty of imitations on the market.
Real saffron tastes absolutely nothing like the powdered stuff. Before I moved to the Maremma, I thought saffron was just a colouring agent because that’s all the powder stuff is. It’s cut with other spices and bark and has no flavour whatsoever.
Real saffron tastes almost metallic on its own, but brings a sweet and heady flavour to your dish. It’s not a flavour you can identify in the finish dish like pepper or cumin. But works more behind the scenes, enhancing and harmonising the other spices.
My number one tip is never buy saffron if you can’t see it. How can you judge if it’s fake, old, off or the wrong colour if the packaging isn’t transparent?
And while you’re there:
- Check its origin: The best saffron comes from Persia or Spain, but if you’re buying the Maremman stuff, you want to make sure it’s from the Fiora Valley because that’s the only area that cultivates saffron.
- Look at the harvest date: Saffron is best used fresh. The longer you keep it in the cupboard, the less flavour it will have. Ground saffron is usually made from old or off saffron, which is why it tastes like nothing. At best, saffron has a shelf life of 3-6 months.
- Can you see yellow? Like I said before, the yellow bit of the stigma is flavourless, so the best saffron has none at all or only the smallest little bit.
- Keep an eye out for consistency: There are saffron imitations on the market. They look like fresh saffron so it’s hard to tell the difference, but you want to make sure all the threads are about the same size and shape. If they look stringy or bark-like, they’re fake.
Eater’s guide
Saffron is an ingredient in everything from biriyani to Risotto alla Milanese. When you shop, think about what you’re using it for.
If you’re making a dish where saffron is the star, buy the best you can afford. Buy it in small quantities, so it’s not going to go off into your cupboard. Lesser grade saffron is fine in dishes where it’s the colorant or background flavour.
Saffron or zafferano is not a traditional flavour in the Maremma. It was always a luxury that the peasants who defined Maremman cooking could never afford. That said, it has been in the province since the Spanish invaded and set up their Stato dei Presidi state on the Argentario Coast in the 16th century.
The Spanish used saffron to colour and flavour local delicacies like bottarga (cured fish roe) and marinated eel. They mixed it into their sultana buns and custard tarts, both of which you can still buy from bakeries in Orbetello and Giglio Island.
When cooking with saffron, it’s extremely important to let it soak. My farmer said place it a small dish of cold water in the morning for use at night. But if you’re in a pinch, soak it for at least 15 minutes in warm water and be sure to use the water too.
Where to get it
I can’t stress enough, don’t buy saffron from the supermarket.
Buy it from these guys or guys like these guys:
- Carrucola Graziano (Loc. Sgrillozzo ( Manciano ): These are the farmers that let me pick their saffron. They sell direct from their farm, are 100% biological and are one of the few farmers to also make heart-smart, low fat, high in calcium cheese . Can’t lay the compliments on thick enough. Graziano’s wife even makes a mean saffron risotto!
- Agricola Starace Filomena (Via delle Paduline, Grosseto): For city shoppers, this family farm has plenty aside from saffron.
- Crocus Maremma (Grosseto): The biggest producer and undisputed queen of saffron in the Maremma. They even have a website!
You can check out a full list of saffron growers on their website (in Ita).
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