Kashmiri saffaron and GI Tag.
Insha chouhan BSc Forestry Skuast-k
**Dr Aamir ahmad Raina phd scholar LPM, NDRI karnal, rainaaamir99@gmail.com**
Iqra farooq M.Sc silviculture and agroforestry SKUAST K
Kashmir saffron is renowned globally as a spice. It rejuvenates health and is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes. It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region. The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are its longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemical-free processing, and high quantity of crocin (colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness).
It is the only saffron in the world grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 m AMSL (above mean sea level), which adds to its uniqueness and differentiates it from other saffron varieties available the world over.
The saffron available in Kashmir is of three types — ‘Lachha Saffron’, with stigmas just separated from the flowers and dried without further processing; ‘Mongra Saffron’, in which stigmas are detached from the flower, dried in the sun and processed traditionally; and ‘Guchhi Saffron’, which is the same as Lachha, except that the latter’s dried stigmas are packed loosely in air-tight containers while the former has stigmas joined together in a bundle tied with a cloth thread.
Saffron cultivation is believed to have been introduced in Kashmir by Central Asian immigrants around 1st Century BCE. In ancient Sanskrit literature, saffron is referred to as ‘bahukam’.
Kashmir saffron, which is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir, has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry. The spice is grown in some regions of Kashmir, including Pulwama, Budgam, Kishtwar and Srinagar. Kashmir saffron, grown at an altitude of 1,600 meters, saw a steep decline in production by around 65%, from 16 metric tonnes to 5.6 metric tonnes, in 2018.
According to an official data, the saffron land cultivation has also come down to 3,715 hectares in 2009-10 from 5,707 hectares in 1996. Besides, saffron yield has shown a sharp decline from 3.13 kg per hectare to 2.5 kg per hectare.
Kashmir saffron faces stiff competition from Iranian saffron, which has captured over 90% share of the world market.
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- It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region.
- It is a very preciousand costly product.
- In ancient Sanskrit literature, saffron is referred to as ‘bahukam’.
- It is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Uniqueness:The features which differentiates it from other saffron varieties available the world over are:
- It is the only saffron that is grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 mabove mean sea level.
- It haslonger and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemical-free processing.
- It also has a high quantity of crocin(colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness).
- Types:There are three types of saffron available in Kashmir — Lachha Saffron, Mongra Saffron and Guchhi Saffron.
- Uses:
- Kashmir saffron is used globally as a It also helps in revitalizing health.
- It is used in cosmeticsand for medicinal purposes.
- Benefit of tag:With the GI tag, Kashmir saffron would gain more prominence in the export market.
- Iran is the largest producer of saffronand India is a close competitor.
The GI tag for Kashmir saffron will go a long way towards restoration of this exotic and expensive spice to its rightful place of pride. Kesar from Kashmir has, at long last, been granted the geographical indicator (GI), and one hopes that this will encourage our coHopefully, this recognition will encourage consumers to take some trouble to distinguish between real and fake saffron. Many suffer from the misconception that Spanish saffron is the ‘best in the world’, and our own produce is inferior to it. This canard has originated because of large-scale adulteration in saffron from Kashmir. The GI tag should go a long way towards restoration of this exotic ingredient to its rightful place of pride. Kesar, saffron or zafran, call it by any name, is the most expensive spice by weight in the world. Almost 45,000 flowers contribute their aromatic and flavourful stamens to make up this measure. The most premium quality commands a price of up to Rs5,00,000 per kg!mpatriots to take pride in this unique product of a province that has been called Paradise on Earth. Let the world share the sublime aroma, flavour, enchanting hue and rejoice.
Land of violet blooms
Not far from Srinagar lies the township of Pampore — the name derived from original Sanskrit Padmapura — City of Lotuses. Emperor Jehangir chronicled in his diary how overpowering was the fragrance of the violet-petalled blossoms in autumn when the ‘crop’ covered like a carpet hundreds of acres of flatlands. The lover of good life also thought that the height of ecstasy could be experienced on a full moon night in Pampore in autumn, when countless blossoms bloomed stretching as far as one could see. Legend has it that zafran was brought to the Valley some time in circa 5th century after the birth of Christ by two itinerant Sufi saints from Persia. As the folklore has it, the saints had been both cured of a painful chronic ailment by a local physician, who was gifted by the grateful patients with a bulb of the rare flower with miraculous properties. The transmission from Iran is quite plausible as Kashmir is referred to in some early texts as Iran Sagir (smaller Iran). Its cuisine and crafts, language and manners carry a deep Persian imprint.
Kashmiri Pandit tradition, however, narrates another story. Great physician Vagbhatt is once said to have cured a serpent demigod disguised in the human form of a painful eye disease. It is from this celestial patient that he received this precious gift. It appears that practitioners of ayurveda in India were familiar with this ingredient and its medicinal properties as it is described in some detail in Bhavaprakasa Nighantu — traditional Indian materia medica dating back to the 4th century.
Strands of good health
Time-tested properties of saffron are believed to be restorative, rejuvenating and by implication aphrodisiac. It is an essential ingredient in ayurvedic preparations like chyawanprash. The royals in Rajasthan commissioned their distilleries to produce liquor for special occasions. The master craftspersons came up with kesar-kasturi — a potent blend of saffron and musk. Saffron is believed to have a warm property — garam taseer, and it is essentially a winter spice. The writer of these lines recalls mother fortifying us in freezing winter to build immunity against cough and cold with milk laced with kesar, cardamom and almonds. When kesar was not at hand, a pinch of turmeric, aka poor man’s saffron, replaced it.
Saffron is used to enrich and garnish both vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes in the subcontinent. It is impossible to imagine a biryani that is cooked without it. A few strands are often carefully sprinkled to make the diner believe that he is being treated with exotic ingredients. Kesari, the rawa halwa, was obviously named after the ingredient that lent it colour and taste. More often than not, this confection is nowadays artificially coloured and only a few strands of saffron may be used as garnish.
Masala chai may have just a hint of its essence but the kahwa in Kashmir that is poured in a light golden stream from a samovar relies on it to create magic on the cold winter mornings. Kesar adorns the rich bread sheer maal that is prized in Lucknow and Hyderabad. It enriches the thickened milk garnished with almond flakes. Frozen desserts like kulfi and desserts like kheer and phirni seem incomplete without kesariya garnish.
In Benaras, we were once treated to a delectable kesar bati, a confection conjured out of saffron-laced clotted cream.
The ubiquitous bundi ka laddoo becomes extraordinary motichoor by incorporating a few strands of the aromatic substance. Lassi and thandai, in their saffron-laced version, rank a notch higher than the plain stuff. In Bengal, saffron adds a touch of subtle elegance to prawns cooked in coconut cream and a zafrani fish curry that seems to have been influenced by Mughal culinary practices. In Maharashtra, kesar is an essential ingredient along with green cardamom seeds in the delectable shrikhand.
Beyond cuisine
It is not only in the realm of cuisine that saffron is valued. It is considered to epitomise excellence and elegance in diverse fields. It is the colour symbolising valour, sacrifice as well as renunciation and selfless service. Kesariya banna, the chivalrous young warrior dressed in saffron-coloured attire, is extolled in Rajasthani folk songs that resonate in the vast desert far removed from the Vale. One of Mira Bai’s celebrated bhajans uses the metaphor of saffron to praise virtues like love and compassion. Kesar, called kumkum in Sanskrit, is traditionally used at almost all ritual worship. The auspicious tikka put on the forehead was to be prepared with saffron mixed with a substance to bring out the bright colour. Like chandan (sandal), kesar, too, was an indispensable part of the shringar — formal makeup.
Perfumers have used it for generations in seductive perfumes. Tobacconists in Kannauj, the city famous for Indian ittar (perfume), have used it for generations to create intriguing perfumes. Ittada Khan, Muttada Khan, in days gone by, used strands of zafran to aromatise its mushki dana ilayachi dana tobacco pellets draped in silver leaves. Sugandhis like Dharm Pal Prem Chand and Satya Pal continue with the practice in their more expensive products Baba or Tulsi chaap. Kesar is rendered more potent blended with silver leaf and other aromatic substances. Lest you start accusing us of promoting a narcotic, let us hasten to add the silver leaf-draped saffron-flavoured green cardamom seeds are also available!
Guerlin in France has named one of its upmarket perfumes as Shalimar, doffing its proverbial hat to saffron from Kashmir. While saffron is absent in East Asian and South East Asian cuisines, it is used in delicacies in the Middle East and Europe. In Italy, risotto is subtly flavoured with saffron and in Spain, it makes paella and many other sea food delicacies more tempting. The strands of saffron make every dish a joyous festive fare
