ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF SAFFRON

                Although the origin of saffron is not clear, it seems almost with certain exactitude to say that it proceeds from the East (there are some references of saffron dated 2300 BC); and other references of using saffron in Ancient Greece for aromatic, chromatic and aphrodisiac purposes.

                Certainly the Arabs were who introduced the cultivation of saffron in Spain at the beginning of X century. The information from reliable sources proves the mass employment of the saffron in most of Hispano-Arabic food of that time.

                                        

           

               Saffron had a huge importance in the commercially point of view, and it still so, especially in Spain. At the Middle Age, saffron was the only spice cultivated in Cataluña, Valencia, Aragon and Castilla la Mancha. At those times, the Spanish saffron was recognized for its high quality (national and internationally), having been commercialized at most importants commercial centers of Mediterranean countries since then until early modern period.

                Another commercial focus was in Venice, where the main buyers were germans. Special and armed employees working at the Ufficio dello Zafferano were in charge for its inspection  of security and quality. The importance of this market in Germany is deducted by the fact that the city of Verona (Italy) sold 10.000 ducats of saffron to the germans in 1448.

                Nowadays, it’s still the most expensive spice in the world.