Saffron’s quality in Oltrepò Pavese

Have you always dreamed of visiting the exotic countries where saffron, the most precious and refined spice in the world, grows? 
Imagine yourself walking along the expanses of fields of purple crocuses and perhaps witnessing the harvesting and processing of the stigmas from which the red gold called saffron is obtained.

Think about taking a trip on the spice route in Asia or Morocco, among inebriating colors and scents and finally tasting the typical dishes of those lands, tasty and colorful foods, some of an intense saffron yellow color, to then bring a bit of that magic home, into your kitchen but then you will realize that it’s a demanding trip, for budget, work or family reasons..-

There is an easier alternative! Here in Italy there is a place where saffron grown with a pretty good quality and is produced. That place is the Oltrepò Pavese !

It seems incredible, but saffron has chosen the Oltrepò Pavese: on its hills it has found a truly congenial habitat, although today there are few companies that produce it, due to its low yields and high labor costs that has to be done strictly manual.

Saffron plants grow in areas far from pollution.
The Comune di Mornico Losana and comune di Borgoratto Mormorolo, for example, have proven to be ideal places, far from urban centers and intensive cultivations, but other areas of our hills have also proven to be suitable.

Visiting the Oltrepò means coming in contact with the story of a local producer, who will explain how he grows and works this noble spice. He will tell you about his colorful saffron fields and the harvest of the flowers, which takes place between the end of October and the beginning of November. 
The stigmas are the upper part of the pistil of this beautiful purple flower from which saffron is obtained.
And then you will learn how to preserve it once dried.

Images taken from the Facebook page Zafferano dell’Oltrepò Pavese

Where can you buy saffron in the Oltrepò?

Let’s discover some of the local producers:

Fattoria la Robinia

The company is located in Mornico Losana – PV, ( view the map ).
The key is the simplicity and genuineness of the products of used on the fields. Cesare has decided to introduce the cultivation of saffron since more than 10 years ago.

It grows around 300,000 selected bulbs which it also supplies to nursery gardeners, agricultural companies and private individuals, but not in a large-scale distribution.

95% of its production is intended for the packaging of pistils and only 5% for saffron ground into powder derived from the pistils.

It uses only spring water from a centuries-old source, no pesticides, natural drying (not mechanical) on wood embers with the fire off, thus avoiding excessive smoky scents and allowing for much longer-lasting conservation.

Its saffron is also used in other products of the company like honey, grappa, liqueur, saffron donuts, jams, panettone, colomba and sweets.

The company ships throughout Italy and abroad.

Fattoria la Robinia also collaborates with SLOW FOOD OLTREPO’ PAVESE.

TerreEridane

The TerreEridane Ghezzi Giuseppe’s Farm was founded in the early 1950s in the “provincia di Pavia”, in Ghelfa at the Comune di Arena Po, by Augusto and the support of his entire family.
The bond with the land and the value of the peasant tradition have always been the pillars of the family business.

The project “ Zafferano Terre Eridane ” – born from curiosity about a product with extraordinary properties – is the expression of the continuous desire to diversify agricultural production and fields, if we all take care of it, if will have so much to offer, and the surprising production and cultivation of saffron of these fields is the proof of it.

Over the years, TerreEridane has selected the best bulbs, identified the most suitable soils and experimented with the entire cultivation cycle, arriving with great satisfaction at obtaining a top quality and certified saffron in pistils, which can be purchased directly from the company.

Instagram profile: https://instagram.com/zafferano.terre.eridane?igshid=1mvm1cdn2nsri

Torre Memoriola

In the heart of the Oltrepò, in Borgoratto Mormorolo, in the “frazione Boiolo“, the “Azienda Agricola Torre Memoriola” has rediscovered the ancient traditions of this land.

Torre Memoriola was once owned by the Benedictine monastery of S. Colombano di Bobbio. The company’s products are the result of the revival of lost practices, through the reconquest and cultivation of uncultivated slopes, with patience and tenacity.
The owner, Massimiliano, grows saffron here and then lavender and aromatic herbs so his products have the scent of ancient aromas.

The company sells both directly at the farm and online, through the farm website www.torrememoriola.it

Other local producers are the “Azienda Agricola Pietra Viva” in Pietragavina (Varzi – PV) and the “Azienda Faravelli Gabriele”, in Montecalvo Versiggia (PV).

Saffron pistils are an excellent purchase for your own kitchen, or even as a gift.

The quantity of saffron that is obtained from a single flower – with manual harvesting, of course – is really small.
This explains why the price cannot be modest, but it is worth it.

Knowing, seeing and buying saffron in a nearby and fascinating place is possible: the Oltrepò Paveseis certainly known for its excellent wines but is also the land of saffron! 

You don’t always have to go far to find the beauty and quality of a delicious food. 
Sometimes you just have to look beyond the Po.