Saffron: Here we are talking about gold

The spice saffron is one of the opulent riches of oriental cuisine. It is one of the spices that used to be weighed in gold. In the narrow streets of Fez, but also on the markets in the surrounding area of the old royal city, Georg Berg was on the road, captured impressions with the camera and went in search of this red gold.

In den marokkanischen Städten hat jedes Gewerk sein eigenen Souk, sein eigenes Viertel. HIer die Altstadt von Fès / © Foto: Georg Berg
In Moroccan cities, each trade has its own souk, its own neighborhood. Here the old town of Fez / © Photo: Georg Berg

A day trip to the countryside around Fez also includes a visit to the spice market of Meknes. The city is an important commercial center due to agriculture in the fertile plain of Saïs. With a trained guide at your side, you will quickly learn how saffron of the best quality should smell and that the threads of Moroccan saffron should be bright red and have a length of 1 – 2 cm. Unlike spices such as turmeric, chili or paprika, which are piled up to form high cones and make for an impressive spice backdrop, the traders only have tiny quantities of the precious saffron itself in stock. And when the precious spice is weighed out, the weight of the packaging is meticulously calculated, because this can quickly be many times the desired quantity of saffron.

Opulente Gewürzkulisse: ob Zimtrinde, Lorbeerblatt, Gelbwurz oder Chilischote, auf marokkanischen Gewürzmärkten türmen sich die Wohlgerüche / © Foto: Georg Berg
Opulent spice scenery: whether cinnamon bark, bay leaf, turmeric or chili pepper, the Moroccan spice markets are full of aromas / © Photo: Georg Berg

Saffron: Don’t lose the thread!

Saffron has been cultivated in Morocco for centuries. In the region around Taliouine, on the other side of the High Atlas, is the small village of Souktana. There, at an altitude of about 1100 meters, the most precious of all spices is cultivated. No more than 400 families in the region live from and with saffron. Picking the delicate blossoms must be done quickly, so all family members help out during this short harvesting phase. The delicate saffron threads are extracted from the flower of Crocus Sativus. For one kilo of the sweet-tart smelling pistil threads, 150,000 crocus flowers are harvested. The crocus blooms only once a year and only for two weeks. The daily output of a picker is 80 g. The filaments are odorless when harvested. Only through gentle drying do they develop their unmistakable fragrance.

Safran ist kostbar und das Abwiegen eine wahre Prozedur / © Foto: Georg Berg
Saffron is precious and weighing it is a real procedure / © Photo: Georg Berg

Saffron is not only valuable, but also healing

Saffron was once used as an intoxicant and remedy. Real saffron tastes slightly bitter. The precious pistillate threads are not only important as a spice, they are also a natural medicine with a broad spectrum of effects. Saffron (Corcus sativus) has innumerable positive effects on health and is currently one of the best known natural universal remedies. It has anti-diabetic effects and can inhibit macular degeneration. It is used in natural medicine for stomach and intestinal colic, cough cramps, rheumatic complaints, exhaustion and lack of concentration.

Safran, das rote Gold hat nicht nur einen unvergleichlichen Geschmack, sondern ist auch noch sehr gesund / © Foto: Georg Berg
Saffron, the red gold not only has an incomparable taste, but is also very healthy / © Photo: Georg Berg

And the eye eats with you – cooking with saffron

Saffron tastes incomparable. It gives fish a wonderful aroma. Saffron turns risotto into a delicacy. Saffron is also suitable for cakes and bread. It would be too bad to use saffron only as a coloring agent. Its active ingredients are water-soluble. In order to fully develop its flavor and effect, it should always be added at the end of the preparation. We are talking about quantities between 0.1 and 0.25 g, which are usually needed to prepare a dish. Saffron is traditionally used to color soups in Thailand, India and the Middle East. It tastes great with fish, chicken and vegetables or can also be used as a quickly made spread in a fine saffron butter.

Also in the Riad Arabesque one serves meals, which are refined with the gold from Morocco.

Safran wird zum Würzen und zum Färben der Speisen eingesetzt. Will man die guten Inhaltsstoffe bewahren, sollte man Safran erst am Ende des Kochvorgangs dazugeben / © Foto: Georg Berg
Saffron is used for seasoning and coloring dishes. If you want to preserve the good ingredients, you should only add saffron at the end of the cooking process / © Photo: Georg Berg

Bycatch in the search for saffron

During his excursions through the medina of Fez, Georg also made a very attractive bycatch: almost every girl had it in the 70s, it is already retro again, if not cult – the Moroccan folding purse. In Fez, when you visit the famous tanner’s quarter, you are also led into the souk of the leather goods merchants. Georg even tracked down this workshop and made a purchase of the iconic change purse in the most beautiful colors quasi directly from the factory. The tanners of Fès are particularly proud of their natural dyes, which are used exclusively for dyeing here.

Die Lederhandwerker von Fès sind besonders stolz auf die ausschließliche Verwendung von Naturfarben zum Färben der Ziegen- oder Kamelfelle / © Foto: Georg Berg
The leather craftsmen of Fez are particularly proud of the exclusive use of natural dyes to dye the goat or camel skins / © Photo: Georg Berg
Die Kleingeldbörse hat Georg von seiner Reise ins Morgenland mitgebracht. Genauso wie das kostbarste Gewürz der Welt, den Safran / © Foto: Georg Berg
Georg brought the change purse back from his trip to the Orient. Just like the most precious spice in the world, saffron / © Photo: Georg Berg

More recipes like spicy chicken soup or baked potatoes with saffron can be found on the website Peter sei selig.

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Food topics on Tellerrand-Stories

Our mode of operation is characterized by self-experienced, well-researched text work and professional, vivid photography. For all stories, travel impressions and photos are created in the same place. Thus, the photos complement and support what is read and carry it further.

Never miss new Tellerrand-Stories again! Mithilfe eines Feed-Readers lassen sich die Information über neue Blogartikel in Echtzeit abonnieren With the help of a feed reader, all stories about the Tellerrand (edge of the plate) can be subscribed to in real time.

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