Saffron and Pimentón with their intense flavors and colors are indispensable in Spanish cuisine. It would be difficult to imagine some of Spain's emblematic dishes without them. One such is paella, not to mention many of the famous charcuterie products such as chorizo and loin. Saffron was brought to Spain as a crop by the Moors, who found excellent growing conditions for it on La Mancha plains, in the center-south of Spain. The use of saffron, is a key marker for the influence of Arab culture on Spanish gastronomy. From Spain, saffron traveled to the rest of Europe where it gained enormous popularity and prestige.
There's more to salt than there used to be. Over the past decade, this once standard substance has been replaced by a wide range of products distinguished by their quality, provenance and method of production. Gone are the days when salt was just a basic necessity and no one bothered with where it came from. The gastronomically inclined can now choose between pink salt from the Himalayas, French fleur de sel from Camargue and Guérande, Maldon salt from England, Peruvian salt from Maras, etc. Spain's position within this scenario is backed up by impeccable credentials: a tradition that dates back over a thousand years before the Roman invasion, natural conditions that are ideal for producing the top-quality sea salt known in Spanish as flor de sal, and a collection of pace-setting entrepreneurs whose thrust and imagination is infinite.
There's more to salt than there used to be. Over the past decade, this once standard substance has been replaced by a wide range of products distinguished by their quality, provenance and method of production. Gone are the days when salt was just a basic necessity and no one bothered with where it came from. The gastronomically inclined can now choose between pink salt from the Himalayas, French fleur de sel from Camargue and Guérande, Maldon salt from England, Peruvian salt from Maras, etc. Spain's position within this scenario is backed up by impeccable credentials: a tradition that dates back over a thousand years before the Roman invasion, natural conditions that are ideal for producing the top-quality sea salt known in Spanish as flor de sal, and a collection of pace-setting entrepreneurs whose thrust and imagination is infinite.
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Saffron is obtained from the stigma of the saffron crocus, a bulb which flowers for just a few days in the month of October. Cultivation is very laborious. The soil needs a lot of care and all the work involved in production, harvesting, separation of the stigmas and subsequent drying has to be done by hand. About 10,000 flowers are needed to gather one kilo / 2, 2 lb of saffron. La Mancha saffron is considered the best because of its bright red color, its penetrating, toasty aroma of flowers and dry hay, and its great coloring power. Spain is the world's largest producer of top-class saffron. In order to guarantee the quality of genuine Spanish saffron and prevent it from being mixed with saffron from other sources, the Designation of Origin Azafrán de la Mancha has been set up.
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Pimentón, a type of Spanish paprika, is a seasoning and coloring agent made from the red pepper or capsicum annuum, a member of the Solanaceae family, that is first dried naturally or in hot air and then ground. Spanish pimentón has a characteristic smoky aroma as it is usually dried in oak smoke, generally in the months of October and November. It is one of Spain's most characteristic and widely-used spices. In Spain, peppers are mostly grown in the Region of Murcia and in the Vera valley in Cáceres (Extremadura), both of which have Designations of Origin. The Pimentón de la Vera PDO flavor is very intense as well as being smoky, and the pimentón has a high coloring power. The Pimentón de Murcia PDO is bright red, with a distinctive flavor and a high coloring power.
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