Saffron

Saffron is a very valuable spice, whose cultivation has been typical of central Italy since at least the 13th century.

The oldest source that certifies its production is the Statute of the Municipality of Perugia of 1279, where under heading 440 the sowing of saffron to foreigners is peremptorily forbidden, an interesting testimony to the fact that at the time it was already considered a spice of great value. Although the production of saffron is very widespread in the Umbrian regional soil, the analysis of ancient sources has led to the identification of two particularly significant areas from the production point of view: the Spoletino, the Folignate and the Valnerina, on the one hand, and the Pievese, Trasimeno and Orvietano district on the other.

The ancient statutes of the Municipality of Ficulle of 1534 clearly testify to its production and also its protection, explaining in section 31 how the penalties provided for in the event of damage to the gardens were maximized in the presence of saffron. At the time, saffron was mainly used for dyeing paper and especially fabrics, to which it attributed an extraordinary golden sheen. It even seems that the celebrated painter Pietro Vannucci, known as "il Perugino, in the nearby Città della Pieve made great use of it to render the inimitable golden reflection of fabrics dyed with this natural gold in fresco.

After a long period in which the cultivation of saffron has progressively decreased until it substantially disappeared, it was recovered and reintroduced with great success about 30 years ago. Since then, thanks to the composition of the soil which is particularly suitable for this cultivation, several plantations of organic saffron have been started, whose use, however, unlike in the past, is essentially for food purposes.

The processing of saffron is particularly laborious and expensive, as the flowers of the saffron plant must be harvested by hand when fully opened, and then with great patience and precision cut the 3 stigmas of each flower and place them to dry in the oven or in the sun. When they are completely dry, the spice is ready for consumption. Contrary to what happened in the past, the dried stigmas are not crushed and reduced to powder, but on the contrary, great care is taken to keep the filaments intact and then store them in small glass jars, so that the aroma can be enhanced when the spice is used in cooking.

As the use of saffron in the food sector is a consequence of its recent reintroduction, there are no particularly typical recipes based on this product. However, it will certainly be a pleasure to enjoy its sweet and refined flavour in a good risotto or in a bowl of fragrant biscuits.