A legend tells that in very ancient times, a pilgrim from the Taliouine region returned from Mecca with Saffron flower bulbs. Another pilgrim, from the Kashmir region of India, would have entrusted him with the precious bulbs and explained how to cultivate them. He would have told him: “here is the secret of Red Gold”…Several centuries later, this region of the Atlas is known as the main center of production of this much sought-after spice. Its red color and its powerful, slightly bitter taste make it the queen of spices in oriental cuisine. The region’s economy is centered on its production and marketing.
Cultivating saffron is like an ancestral art. Crocuses, an annual bulb plant, produce their flowers at a specific time of the year, between the months of October and November. You have to pick them by hand, flower by flower. Then the pistil is taken from the flower and left to dry. It is only these small filaments that are pure saffron. It takes almost 150,000 flowers to produce one kilo of saffron!
The saffron plantation requires constant work all year round. Planting bulbs, pulling weeds, irrigation, etc. These plants cannot withstand the heat of the plains, so they are grown at altitude. In Taliouine and in the region, saffron plantations are found between 1200 and 1500 meters above sea level. The production region extends over the foothills of the Atlas, as far as Taznakht. The majority of small douars in the region derive their livelihood from this crop, associated with that of almond and apple trees.
Departing from Taliouine and the saffron house, magnificent hikes allow you to discover this region and better understand this ancestral culture. Local trekking agencies offer to guide you on these trails and explore these farmers and their environment.
Recently, still at the initiative of the Maison du Saffron, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, a meeting of cooperatives is attempting to promote a quality label and a controlled designation “Safran de Taliouine”. Because unfortunately counterfeiting and bad practices exist around this sector.
Cooperatives also make it possible to harmonize the selling price of saffron, allowing producers to earn a fixed income. At the cooperative, the gram of saffron costs around 35 dirhams. Some crooked intermediaries appropriate saffron directly from the villages for less than 15 dirhams per gram, but without certainty about its quality and origin.
Traveling to the Taliouine region is therefore the certainty of discovering “another Morocco”, an ancestral tradition, a fascinating Amazigh (Berber) culture, a pretty purple flower with a heart of gold, and a gastronomic journey to the land of a thousand flavors.
The small town of Taliouine is located equidistant between Agadir and Ouarzazate, that is to say 160km, by a very pleasant road, in good condition and very exotic.
THR MAGAZINE
