Iranian Saffron known as the “red gold”, saffron is a magical ingredient in Persian culture, from aromatic foods and colorful desserts, to the physical and spiritual medicine. The expensive spice has long been a high-demand commodity and even triggered a war in 1374 in central Europe. But let’s take a closer look at saffron in Iran.
Where did saffron come from?
Greeks claim that saffron came from their land first, tell that to any Iranian and you will get a laughter! A stronger hypothesis says that cultivation of saffron first took place in Iran. The arguments on origins of the precious spice are endless, so let’s take a look at the fact that currently, Iranians are the biggest producers of saffron in the world (85% of the world’s saffron grown in a year, roughly about 390 tons!) The number is huge, considering that every 500 saffron stigmas weighs only one gram.
Harvest season
Every year, the saffron harvest season begins in early November. While most other vegetation are gone, the bright purple flowers cover the fields and create an outstanding landscape in dry regions in Iran. Major saffron producers of Iran are located in the east side of the country. If you would like to see the biggest market, head to Mashhad, which is also known for its religious importance. But if you are more curious about where saffron comes from, remember the cities of Gonabad, Torbat Heydariyeh, Taybad, Khaf, and Qaen. All of these cities are located in Khorasan region and their harvest season begin around November 1st, lasts about two, at most three weeks.
Harvesting of saffron begins before sunrise, when flowers have still not opened up. Men and women head to the field and start picking the flowers as fast as they can, by the first rays of the sun, the flowers magically bloom in a sudden act. Work stops at around 9 AM when the flowers are taken to a shaded area to seperate. Everyone sits around a huge pile of flowers and carefully takes the three stigmas out. Remember the 500 stigmas for a gram of saffron? It takes about 167 saffron flowers to produce only one gram. That is why saffron is so precious.
