SaffronDirect.com

on the day they bloom, which requires the picker to stoop - a really labour intensive job and as yet there is no means of mechanical harvesting. The stigmas are dried over a low charcoal fire until the last vestige of moisture has been extracted before they can be stored in a moistureproof container. Saffron originates in the Eastern Mediterranean area; it likes sun, average rainfall, a mild winter and requires little cultivation. Cultivation and the use of saffron spice in Spain was noted in the 9th Century, in France and Germany in the 12th Century, and it reached England in the 14th Century, being successfully harvested in the Saffron Walden area for the last 250 years. Saffron is now commercially grown in Spain, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Greece, Egypt and India, with the worlds finest material coming from Spain. As readers will know, saffron gives a rich colour to rice dishes, Spanish paellas, Italian risottos, soups, Iranian dishes, Indian pilaus and in Cornwall it is still used for making saffron bread, scones and cakes. Blended with hot milk, almonds, pistachios and cardamoms, it makes a celebratory drink in India and saffron ice cream and saffron shrikand, made from natural yoghurt, owe their distinctive character to this spice.