Saffron. The spice between fortunes, colors and flavors
The San Gimignano countryside guards a chain of families and producers who cultivate saffron, this precious purple flower from which they make stigmas, because that is how it is marketed, not in powdered form but in precious filaments, with the D.O.P. label guaranteeing this ancient tradition.
Its production traces its roots back as far as the 1200s and soon found trade throughout Europe and even in the East and Africa, making the fortunes of many merchants who, with the proceeds, commissioned the construction of city towers as high as wealth and power. A particularly valuable spice, it was used for dyeing textiles, as a bargaining chip and also to pay homage to important figures such as Emperor Frederick II. With an intense flavor tending toward bitterish, its cultivation today, as then, is based on traditional methods and enriches various recipes of the local cuisine.
In May 2017, the Consorzio dello Zafferano di San Gimignano DOP was established to promote and enhance one of the territory's most authentic products. This PDO product is still marketed in stems, and not in powder form, to avoid counterfeiting and guarantee quality.
