Golden touch

ISTANBUL

The saffron harvest is just about to begin. Safranbolu, the major saffron-growing town in Türkiye, has announced the period between October 15 and November 15 as the Saffron Harvest Festival. Located in the northern province of Karabük, Safranbolu is a lovely, picturesque Ottoman town inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is definitely the place to be during this period. The surrounding area is also ideal for trekking, with autumn leaves blanketing the ground and breathtaking autumn colours, not to mention the forests full of surprises for mushroom hunters. When the saffron flowers start to bloom and their purple-lilac heads rise from the ground, the scene is unforgettable. Early in the morning, saffron gatherers carefully pick each flower and, back in the atelier, pull out the crimson saffron threads inside to produce the most precious spice.

Worthy of gold

Saffron has always been considered synonymous with gold due to its preciousness and its glowing, luminous yellow color. Saffron's value comes from the fact that it is a product obtained through extremely labor-intensive work and a battle against time. The saffron flower itself is like a gem: an extremely elegant flower with a striking amethyst color. It emerges from the soil in the fall after awakening from its summer slumber. In a sense, like crocuses heralding spring, saffron flowers herald autumn. Saffron buds emerge from the soil in the morning frost and are carefully picked one by one. Although the sun's effect is diminished by the autumn chill, the flowers may wilt if you wait too long, so you must act early.

The thin saffron threads in the center of the flowers are carefully removed one by one. These threads are the actual saffron spice, treasured as gold. It takes 150,000 to 160,000 flowers to produce one kilogram of saffron. This covers an area of approximately 2 square kilometers. Collecting all these flowers requires more than 40 hours of nonstop work, and then the saffron threads must be removed from each flower. Because it is such a labor-intensive and tedious task, saffron has always been considered equal to gold, not only because of its golden color, but also because of its value.

Safranbolu is known as the saffron capital of Türkiye, though saffron is also grown in other places. The local yield is quite limited, and most of the saffron in the country comes from neighboring Iran—admittedly, mostly smuggled. Saffron is precious, yet very lightweight, making it ideal for suitcase trading. Most saffron consumers here are Iranian anyway, as saffron is indispensable in their cuisine; their kitchen is full of saffron-tinted dishes, all adorned with the golden touch.

Saffron & rice: A love story

Saffron was much praised in Ottoman cooking. Once the favorite spice of sultans and palaces, valued like gold, but today, it has almost disappeared from our kitchens. Saffron recipes are among the most popular banquet dishes and desserts in medieval Arabic cuisine, Iranian cuisine, and the Mughal cuisine prevalent in North India. German historian Peter Heine includes many saffron recipes from different periods in his book “The Culinary Crescent: A History of Middle Eastern Cuisine,” listing dishes such as faludhaj, harira, skhina, sikbaj, khoresh fesenjan, samosa and morgh-e zaferani, which are made with lamb, partridge, chicken, or vegetables.

Saffron has such an affinity with rice. In Ottoman cuisine, saffron was primarily used for buttery rice pilaf and zerde, a pudding made solely with rice, sugar and water, but with that incredible golden touch of saffron. Otherwise, like a bland rice jelly, the saffron gives this royal pudding a unique aroma and that almost luminous glow. Moreover, zerde was also poured over buttery rice pilaf, like a sweet sauce contrasting the salty pilaf, a striking flavor combination, but also covering the rice as if like a silken yellow veil, adding that mysterious golden touch.

In Italy, Milan’s famous dish “Risotto alla Milanese,” gets its striking yellow color and unmatched flavor from saffron. The flagship dish of Spanish cuisine, “Paella,” is a dish that includes everything from seafood to chorizo, but all the flavors come together in the cradling harmony of rice and saffron. From Iran to India, pilaf is made with saffron in all countries. American author Colleen Sen, who is extremely knowledgeable about Indian cuisine, writes in her book “Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India” that the aristocracy in North India revered saffron rice and chicken dishes. She even recounts that in the Uttar Pradesh region, chickens were once fed saffron and musk pellets, pretty much like a pill; thus, the chicken meat would take on the scent of saffron, and the rice made with the broth from this chicken would be truly unique. Now, that I call a true golden touch, with the magic of a golden pill.

Bite of the Week:

Zerde, the ultimate Ottoman royal pudding, takes its name from the Persian word “Zer,” meaning gold. Our recipe for Zerde comes from İbrahim Canbulat, owner of the boutique hotel Gülevi in Safranbolu. Originally an architect, he has restored Gülevi with incredible finesse. He also excels in the kitchen, being a Slow Food Alliance Chef, he thoroughly researched the regional cuisine. His book, “Safranbolu Sofrası – Bir Tarih ve Etnografya Çalışması” (Safranbolu Table – A History and Ethnography Study), published by Oğlak Yayınları, unfortunately not available in English, presents original examples of regional cuisine and includes oral history interviews with eight Safranbolu natives, some of whom are no longer with us. Canbulat’s book “Saffron Dishes in Ottoman Palaces” will also be on the shelves very soon; let’s hope it will be translated to English too.

50 g rice (2 small Turkish coffee cups)

940 ml. water (approx. 10 cups)

190 g sugar (2.5 cups)

0,4 g saffron (2 smallish pinches)

20 ml rosewater (1 small Turkish coffee cup)

15 g arrowroot or corn starch (3 tablespoons)

20 g each of currants and pine nuts for garnish

Mix the saffron with the rose water and let it sit for about two hours. Wash the rice, soak it in water for about two hours, then wash it again thoroughly and drain. Boil the rice in 940 ml water for about 20 minutes until soft. Add the sugar and boil for another 5 minutes. Add the saffron-rose water and continue cooking, covered, for about five minutes. Finally, add the arrowroot or cornstarch that you have dissolved in half a cup of water, pouring it in a thin stream, and boil for one more minute or so, stirring constantly until it thickens. Divide into bowls and garnish with the currants and pine nuts. If preferred, soak the currants in rosewater beforehand and pomegranate seeds also add a jewel-like appeal to this golden pudding.