Coriander is a cultivated annual or biennial herb native, most probably, to the eastern Mediterranean. Long ago, it spread to southern Asia and Europe, where it often grows wild as an escape. Finds in old Egyptian graves confirm that it was used by the Egyptians.
Henry VIII of England was so fond of saffron in his kitchen that he forbade its use as a hair-dye by the ladies of the court.
The name of the plant, which was used by Pliny, is derived from the Greek words `koris', meaning bed-bug, and `annon', meaning anise, for when rubbed between the fingers the fresh leaves smell of bed-bugs.
That is also why it is so expensive and hence the saying 'as costly as saffron'. In medieval times its adulteration by other admixtures was punished by burning the culprit at the stake or burying him alive.
In Europe saffron was first raised in Spain, where it was introduced by the Arabs when they established their Andalusian domains in southern Spain from the 9th century onward. Its cultivation then spread to other European countries but only in Spain and southern France did it continue to be raised on a larger scale. Spanish saffron is also considered to be the best on the market.
Saffron greatly resembles the fipring-flowering species of crocus - Crocus heuffelianus and C versus - the one great difference being that it flowers in autumn, as does the highly poisonous autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale). Beware of mistaking the one for the other.
Henry VIII of England was so fond of saffron in his kitchen that he forbade its use as a hair-dye by the ladies of the court.
The name of the plant, which was used by Pliny, is derived from the Greek words `koris', meaning bed-bug, and `annon', meaning anise, for when rubbed between the fingers the fresh leaves smell of bed-bugs.
That is also why it is so expensive and hence the saying 'as costly as saffron'. In medieval times its adulteration by other admixtures was punished by burning the culprit at the stake or burying him alive.
In Europe saffron was first raised in Spain, where it was introduced by the Arabs when they established their Andalusian domains in southern Spain from the 9th century onward. Its cultivation then spread to other European countries but only in Spain and southern France did it continue to be raised on a larger scale. Spanish saffron is also considered to be the best on the market.
Saffron greatly resembles the fipring-flowering species of crocus - Crocus heuffelianus and C versus - the one great difference being that it flowers in autumn, as does the highly poisonous autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale). Beware of mistaking the one for the other.
0 comments:
Post a Comment