True saffron/saffron crocus

For most readers, their knowledge of saffron is linked to childhood memories: ‘Bake, bake a cake …’ was one of those rhymes that many will surely remember. The saffron crocus = Crocus sativus was first mentioned in writing over 3,500 years ago. Greek mythology mentions that Zeus is said to have lain on a bed filled with saffron.

For a long time, women used saffron to dye their veils, hair and nails. It was also used and highly prized by artists as a natural dye. Until the Middle Ages, the counterfeiting of genuine saffron was punishable by death. Among other things, it was counterfeited using finely chopped yellow and reddish petals such as marigold or dyer’s safflower, known as ‘poor man’s saffron’. Pure and genuine saffron was only available directly from producers, from reputable traders and in specialist shops. In Switzerland, saffron is grown in Mund, Europe’s most famous saffron village in the Upper Valais. The climatic conditions and the particular soil composition there seem to suit the saffron crocus particularly well.

The saffron crocus, which belongs to the iris family = Iridaceae, is native to Greece and the Near East. Saffron is a perennial, hardy, somewhat flattened bulbous plant from which six to nine narrow, linear leaves develop. The pale purple, fragrant flowers sprout directly from the corm, from which the orange-red stigmas protrude; it is from these that saffron is harvested through a labour-intensive process. The stigmas have a strongly spicy, aromatic flavour.

Cultivating the saffron crocus requires warm, fairly dry soil, ideally on a south-facing slope. To produce one kilogram of saffron, more than 150,000 stigmas are required, which equates to around 350 hours of labour for the picking work. For propagation, the corms are dug up, sorted and then dried. The separated offshoots are replanted each August for the new crop. The new saffron crops established in this way remain productive for around five years.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), saffron is successfully used internally to treat ‘stagnant liver energy’, which can manifest itself, for example, as depression. It was previously believed to aid digestion and stimulate circulation, and saffron can also be used to lower high blood pressure. However, it must only be used in homeopathic potencies. Saffron is not suitable for self-medication as part of a ‘grandmother’s home remedy cabinet’. We would also like to point out at this stage that the medicinal use of saffron is not suitable for pregnant women.

‘…Saffron makes the cake yellow.’ Who doesn’t remember this saying, which mums and grandmums used to recite whenever they baked a Gugelhopf or a delicious cake? But saffron is also used as a colouring agent for puddings and sauces, and as a seasoning in rice dishes such as Spanish paella or a delicious Italian risotto Milanese. It is also used to add flavour to fish stews – such as a delicious bouillabaisse – which is an essential part of classic French cuisine.