L'Aquila saffron

Production

In spring, the soil is plowed to a depth of 30 cm and fertilized with about 30 t/ha of manure; no fertilizer is used during the vegetative cycle. The surface is refined and leveled, and 2 or 4 grooves are prepared about 20 cm apart for the bulbs. After milling the soil in August, the bulbs are transplanted at a density of about 10 t/ha (roughly 600,000 bulbs), buried about 10 cm deep in contact on the row, with no irrigation. The first filiform leaves sprout with September rains, growing up to 40 cm.

The flowers have six pinkish-purple petals, three scarlet red stigmas (female part), and three yellow anthers (male part). Harvest occurs around the second fortnight of October before the flowers open at dawn. Indoors, the stigmas are removed and toasted on a sieve over embers of almond or oak wood. Roasting reduces the stigmas' weight to one sixth, with 5–10% residual moisture, and the powder is prepared by grinding. One kilogram of saffron requires about 200,000 flowers.

L'Aquila saffron in culture

One legend attributes the introduction of saffron to Pontius Pilate, whose residence in the area is supported by other legends and archaeological finds. In 2008, an Italian polychrome serrated stamp worth €0.60 featured L'Aquila saffron and its PDO classification. The product is mentioned in the 2007 Pixar animated film Ratatouille, where it is characterized as excellent in the English, French, and Italian versions.