The waters of the Mediterranean Sea have witnessed the most fascinating trade routes of spices and colour. Saffron is a spice that is extracted from the dried stigmas of thecrocus sativus, and has always been one of the world’s most costly substances.
Read more about the fascinating story behind this magnificent colour and a bonus recipe for you to try at home.
SAFFRON
The powerful colour
Etymology: safranum
Source: Plant
Botanical name: Crocus sativus
Colour range: Warm orange to bright yellow
A little bit of history...
The domestication of saffron spans for more than 4,000 years, and crosses civilisations, continents and cultures. With its fragrance and bitter taste, the rich carotenoid substance has been used as a pigment, dye, seasoning, perfume, medicine, and aphrodisiac, over time. The Sumerians used this spice as an
important ingredient in their magical potions and remedies, while the Persians
wove saffron threads into royal carpets and funeral robes.
Indigenous to Greece, Turkey and Iran,
saffron was first domesticated as a crop in Crete. It played an important role
in ancient Greco-Roman culture as a widely traded commodity across the
Mediterranean. During this period of antiquity, saffron customers ranged from
perfumers, physicians, cooks and dyers. This last group operated mainly in the
city of Tyre, which was known for the production of the expensive dye, Tyrian Purple
(extracted from the murex shellfish). In Tyre, yellow from saffron was also
used to mix it with purple dyes to colour the royal robes. Saffron-based pigments
and dyes were extremely valuable as saffron was considered to be the most
powerful colourant able to dye liquid, skin, hair and cloth. It has the
capacity to dye 150,000 times more its own weight.
In the ancient world this spice was
greatly prized as a perfume, especially to scent public spaces, and daily
baths. Cleopatra used saffron in her warm baths during Ptolemaic Egypt because
of its cosmetic and colouring properties. For centuries saffron cultivation was
either rare or non-existent but it regained popularity during the Middle Ages. Saffron
based inks were used in Medieval European illuminated manuscripts to provide
hues of yellow and orange and also for imitating gold leaf.
Demand for saffron increased with the
Black Death in Europe since it was used for medicinal purposes. England became
a major producer of saffron, which was introduced and spread to the coastal
regions of eastern England in the 14th century AD. The cultivation
of saffron took place in Essex in a small town with a chalk-based soil called Saffron Walden. Following the arrival of
new spices and ingredients from the East and the Industrial Revolution, saffron
cultivation declined in England.
Despite its replacement, saffron
continues to be used as a cooking ingredient, especially for the Spanish paella. Iran, Greece, Morocco, Spain and
Italy are among the main countries of Saffron production. Historically, Iran
has been the most important exporter of Saffron in the world.
My experience with this colour ...
What I love about this colour is its versatility and that is edible. Saffron filaments may be used in different ways and contexts; for cooking, dyeing, cosmetics and perfumery and also translated onto different surfaces such as paper, fabric, wood, skin and even hair.
It has a vibrant golden tone when filaments are mixed with egg 'glaire' and then applied to watercolour paper. Also a vibrant orange tone may be obtained when the filaments are ground up in a mortar with a pestle to make pigment; and then mixed with egg 'yolk' in a glass slab. Everything is about trial and error and experimentation and what works best for you. You may try this at home and create beautiful colour palettes with different shades of saffron.
Sourcing the raw material ...
I have the chance to get a high quality saffron in Italy. I source it myself or purchase it to local farmers. The quality of the saffron is seen in the length of the filament and also when making a solution. With small amounts of the filaments a lot of colour should be released.
RECIPE
Making Saffron Egg Tempera
INGREDIENTS:
0.5 gr saffron strands
INGREDIENTS:
0.5 gr saffron strands
1 egg ‘glaire’ (egg white)
EQUIPMENT:
Spatula
Spatula
1 glass or plastic container of 200ml aprox
Measuring cup
Scale
Brush
Watercolour paper
PROCESS
1. Measure your ingredients.
2. Separate the egg yolk from the ‘glaire’ and
keep the ‘glaire’ (egg white) in a container.
3. Add the saffron strands and soak the saffron
overnight in glaire. You will see how the colour
intensifies from pale yellow to a dark yellowish-orange.
4. Stir the mix of saffron and egg ‘glaire’ and it
is ready to be used.
5. Use a paintbrush and paint on watercolour
paper. You will see the satin and shiny finish.
If you are interested in learning more in depth about saffron; its history, origin, methods and recipes; also different techniques on how to make natural paint and the application of these onto various surfaces; you may contact us studiolauradaza@gmail.com.
Read more about our workshops HERE.
Read more about our workshops HERE.
Photos: Kkgas, Laura Daza
