fish stew, bouillabaisse; the Italians in risotto
milanese; the Indians in biryanis and milk
sweets.
The numbers that figure in saffron
production are startling. It takes about 70,000
crocus flowers to produce 5 lb/2.25 kg of
stigmas, the three dark red ends of the tube
(“style”) that carries pollen down to the
plant’s ovary. These 5 pounds in turn dry
down to about 1 lb/450 gm of saffron. And
because they’re so delicate, the stigmas are
still harvested and separated from the other
flower parts by hand, with nearly 200 hours of
labor required for that same 1 pound of dried
saffron. Each purple-petaled flower must be
harvested on the same day that it begins to
open, in late autumn. Once separated, the
stigmas are carefully dried, either with a 30-
minute toasting over a fire (Spain), or longer
times in the sun (Iran), or in a warm room or
modern oven.
barry
(Barry)
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