4949

From Ouarzazate to Agadir

5 h 34 min (378,4 km) pe N10

Taliouine is a small village

located near the city of Taroudant,

in the southern Souss

region of Morocco, in

the Anti Atlas Mountains, which

tend to be less hospitable due to

hotter temperatures, rockier terrain and the harsh

desert, which lies at its base

Bougainvillea

Taliouine Coopérative Souktana du SafranFounded in 1979, the largest and oldest of Taliouine’s saffron cooperatives has 160 members 

The village is also known for its production of saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. This small town produces approximately 7,000 pounds of the spice each year, and Morocco as a whole is fourth in global production behind Iran, India and Greece. The plant flowers in late October and early November. Consider visiting during that time because Taliouine holds a festival to celebrate the harvesting of the plants

Saffron features in Asian North African, and European cuisines. Its aroma is described by taste experts as resembling that of honey, with woody, hay-like, and earthy notes; according to another such assessment, it tastes of hay, but only with bitter hints. Because it imparts a luminous yellow-orange hue, it is used worldwide in everything from cheeses, confectioneries, and liquors to baked goods, curries, meat dishes, and soups. In past eras, many dishes called for prohibitively copious amounts hardly for taste, but to parade their wealth

At its most basic level, Moroccan saffron—like other regional saffron—is the stigma of the Crocus sativus flower, which in Morocco grows plentifully but solely in the Anti-Atlas region of Talioune.Perhaps you know saffron best by the color it lends to its rice dishes: a rich, goldenrod hue. But the actual stigma, if you’ve never seen them in person, are delicate, red threads (almost like thin pieces of yarn) that are sold by the ounce or gram

In Moroccan cooking (at non-gourmet restaurants, for example) dishes that include “saffron” in their name may not have actual saffron in them. Instead, the cook might have simply added a food coloring or cheaper spice (like turmeric) that contributes a similar golden hue but not the flavor

The flavor of real, authentic saffron

is, however, sublime, distinct

and sought-after…and, like

most fine things in life, it comes at a

price. In fact, because it

is harvested by hand via a

delicate procedure, it is the

world’s most expensive spice

Only a tiny proportion of the whole plant could be used to produce just described highly desired saffron substance. This tiny bit is called stigma, used in a dried condition. Imagine how many of these organs were necessary to produce 1 kilogram of dried matter. Can’t? We will help you out. 80,000 up to 100,000 flowers were needed to fill in a sack weighing the mentioned value. 4 kg of dried saffron could be collected from 1 hectare (2.471 acre) of saffron plantation

Iran ranks first in the world production of saffron, with more than 94 percent of the world yield. Other major producers of saffron are Spain, India, Greece, Azerbaijan, Morocco, and Italy

Assaki

Assaki

Assaki

Assaki

Sound: Salma Ya Salama 2017

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Internet Sanda Negruțiu Copyright: All the images belong to their author

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela