A flower with flavour

Altenburg Saffron

There is magic in every blossom. Autumn sun drenches them in a purple hue. Fine veins marble their delicate leaves. The stamens glow sulphur yellow at the base of the flower. The stigmas peek out in dark orange. It is these filigree, rust-red threads of the saffron crocus that exude the beguiling fragrance that makes saffron so precious. And also its colour, which is praised in old songs.

Saffron from Thuringia? Visitors can barely believe their eyes

Travellers from all over Germany, even from Switzerland and Denmark, flock to Altenburg to experience this splendour and to witness the marvel for themselves. After all, people familiar with the spice will frequently associate it with holidays by the Mediterranean. Some even know that saffron is now widely cultivated in Iran. But Thuringia? “I would never have thought that saffron would grow here in the region”, says a visitor from Plauen. Shaking her head, she follows Frank Spieth to the field. The agricultural engineer started the saffron project together with his wife Andrea Wagner. Saffron crocuses grow there in three slender rows measuring 180 metres. Each crocus gradually produces up to four flowers between the end of September and the first days of November. Now, in the morning, the blossoms are sealed tightly to protect the precious contents until all the moisture of the night has disappeared and the sun kisses them gently awake. They need to be harvested shortly before they open, but preferably while they are still closed. By hand, of course. The woman from Plauen is invited to give it a go. Squat down low, grasp gently and pick the flower with a pinch. Spieth and Wagner work with trusted helpers because everything needs to be done in less than an hour. The flowers of the saffron crocuses can only fully unfold and release their orange-red filaments on the large table, in the dry warmth of a bright workroom. "It is crucial to avoid bruising the stigma when they are plucked out to make sure they remain complete”, explains Frank Spieth. This is because the fragrance mainly sits in the delicate ends where the pistil splits. The colour is found in the slightly wider front section. Spieth has a doctorate in agriculture but only became a saffron expert later on in life. He comes from the Thuringian porcelain town of Kahla, his wife from Erfurt. They ended up in Altenburg while hunting for a house with enough space for their kids and grandma. But then they were faced with the question of what to do with the extensive grounds of their new home. Until the keyword ‘saffron’ was mentioned one wine-fuelled evening. Soon afterwards, a friend gave Spieth and Wagner 50 tubers. Which they planted. “Suddenly they all started blooming in autumn, and it just looked so beautiful”, remembers Andrea Wagner. Little by little, the two of them delved into the secrets of saffron. No matter how magnificent the male stamens and the female pistils are with the mature stigmas – the plant, which is the result of natural mutations, is infertile. Crocus sativus, as it is known in Latin, reproduces underground. Each tuber forms up to four daughters in the first year and as many as eight in the second. But they sap the strength from each other and die. Unless a human helps and pulls them apart. This practice has persisted since ancient times, as evidenced by testimonies from the eras of the ancient Greeks and Romans, but also from Egypt, China and Persia.

Saffron also encourages creativity in Altenburg

In 2015, Spieth and Wagner founded the non-profit organisation W3 Wandel-Werte-Wege GmbH and submitted their concept for reviving saffron cultivation to a call for tenders from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Successfully. Their work received funding for five years. The couple obtained a wealth of scientific data and, at the same time, around one kilo of the coveted threads each year. But the magic of saffron cannot be measured in numbers. Not even the hefty price of up to €50 per gram. Only sensory experience can reveal the poetry of its exotic fragrance and the mystery of its beguiling effects. It is said to be mood-enhancing and even act as an aphrodisiac. Incidentally, its full fragrance only unfolds a year after the harvest. The spice apparently also inspires creativity, as can be seen at the "Safranleuchten im Altenburger Land" (The Glow of Saffron in Altenburger Land) event, which is held each year from September to November. Among the highlights is a stroll along the signposted saffron trail, which winds past eight stops through the former imperial palace of Altenburg and brings the most beautiful stories about saffron to life. Above all, though, there are plenty of tastings on offer. And it turns out that Altenburg businesses have long since developed all kinds of matching wares. These include the liqueur specialities from the TRILLER Hofmanufaktur. Or the fruity mustard variations from Altenburger Senf- und Feinkost-Manufaktur. Not to forget the top-fermented craft beer from the Kevin Brewery in nearby Zwickau. Frank Spieth and Andrea Wagner, on the other hand, invite guests to book a "harvest helper day” and also to purchase honey, chocolates, meringues, salt and perfume. All of them brimming with this marvellous spice.

Saffron was already cultivated in Altenburg 600 years ago

So it is hardly surprising that saffron is used to season regional dishes served at eateries after the harvest: the chefs at Senf-Haus prepare saffron panna cotta with orange salmon, Meeresbuffet Altenburg makes saffron-yellow fish stew, Ristorante Da Angelo risotto alla milanese and Kultzeche Meuselwitz ostrich ragout with gnocchi. Thomas Büchner, chef at Reussischer Hof in Schmölln, delights guests with a dessert creation featuring poached peach and goat's cream cheese ice cream. Incidentally, an archivist found evidence that Crocus sativus was already cultivated in the town from the 15th to the 17th century. Sadly, the recipes from back then have not survived.