Consists of the dried stigmas of the autumn or fall crocus plant
(crocus sativus), which should not be confounded with the spring crocus
(crocus vernus), to which it is nearly allied. The crocus derives its
name from Crogeus--which is from the Greek word Krokus, yellow--the
modern Korghy in Cilicune, where it was grown in ancient times. The
word “crocodile” is derived from the Greek words Krokos, yellow,
and deilos, fearful, on the ancient supposition the animal avoided
the place where saffron grows and only sheds real tears when in the
vicinity of a crocus field, hence Fuller says: “The crocodile tears
are never true, save he is forced where saffron groweth.” The phrase,
“crocodile tears,” arose from the idea that the crocodile pretended to
cry over the victims it had devoured. Saffron was of great importance
ages ago. It is mentioned in the third chapter of Solomon’s Songs; it
was in favor among the ancient Greeks as a dye, and with both them
and the Romans as a perfume. The streets of Rome were sprinkled with
saffron when Nero made his entry into that city. In the middle ages
it was employed in cookery and as a drug, and it is on record that as
late as the fifteenth century persons were burned alive in Muremburg
for adulterating saffron. It was introduced to England in 1339 from
Tripoli by a pilgrim who had a stolen bulb in the hollow of his staff.
Its main use was to color pastry and confectionery, hence: “I must have
saffron to color the warden pies” (Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale, act 4,
scene 1). The town of Saffron Waldron in Essex, derives its name from
the fact of its being cultivated in that neighborhood until 1768. The
cultivation of the crocus for saffron in England has entirely died out;
altho the people of Cornwall at the present day use more saffron than
all the rest of Great Britain. It is cultivated in China, Cashmere,
Persia, Asia Minor, Egypt, Austria, Hungary, Russia, Italy, France, but
the chief source of supply is Spain.
A saffron field is not in full bearing until the end of the second
year, at the end of the third year it is exhausted, and it is said that
the soil is so poisoned that it cannot be used for any other crops for
several years. Each acre produces from 600,000 to 700,000 bulbs and
each bulb 2 or 3 flowers. About 150,000 flowers are required to produce
2 lbs. of fresh pistils, which when dried are reduced to one-fifth of
that weight.
The small yield, the labor required, the care in culture and the
difficulty of preserving the product in a good state renders saffron
an expensive article--about 80c an ounce. On the seed-bearer of the
flower there is a thread-like hook or fork, which at its upper head
terminates in three thick, dark, orange-colored nerves or tissues; to
save and collect these tissues the flowers are gathered in the fall,
just as they are breaking, or a little before; they are plucked early
in the morning, and these little masses are then pulled out with a
considerable portion--about 1¼ in. of thread-like stem, to which they
adhere. They are then dried over little charcoal fires or in the sun.
It is this dried stigma, the trifid orange-colored tops of the central
organ of the flower, that is the saffron of commerce. The remainder of
the flower is useless.
Saffron as it generaly comes to the trade consists of a large number
of crooked and mixed-up threads, of an orange-red color; it has a
peculiar, sharp, rooty and pungent smell, and a bitter balsam-like
taste; that of a whitish yellow or blackish color is old and inferior.
The great solubility of saffron prevents its use as a dye for
fabrics, its place being taken by aniline dyes. Its coloring power is
remarkable, a single grain rubbed to a fine powder with a little sugar
will impart a distinct tint of yellow to 10 gals, of water; soaked in
spirits or warm water it will yield three-fourths of its weight of
a deep orange yellow coloring matter, which is perfectly wholesome,
and if kept tightly corked will keep for some time. The chief uses
of saffron are for flavoring and coloring confectionery and culinary
articles; it is also used as a perfume and is given to birds during the
moulting season. Spanish saffron is divided into five grades, according
to the district in which it is cultivated. It is generally wrapped
in tinfoil and then in white tissue paper and packed in tin boxes or
strong cartons.
On account of its high price saffron is often counterfeited or
adulterated with the petals of safflowers, African saffron, Meadow or
wild saffron, marigold, arnica, etc. It is also loaded with glycerine,
glucose, dyed vegetable filamenta, honey, sulphate of soda, barium
sulphate, etc., and exhausted saffron is sometimes re-colored with
aniline dye. The stigma of genuine saffron immediately expands on being
moistened with warm water, and its form is so characteristic that it
cannot be mistaken for the flowerets of any of its adulterates.
Cake saffron is generally made from the dried flowers of the
safflowers--a thistle-like plant of the aster family--or the florets
of the saffron plants made into a paste with gum-water; it is used for
dying and making rouge.