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In modern times, Spain's relationship with saffron begins with the invasion of the Arabs in 713 - these invading Arabs were actually Syrians under Umayyad rule - who had taken over as the centre of Islam and adopted use of the Arab language. Under Syrian rule most of the Islamic specific art and architecture, as we know it today, was developed. The Syrians who themselves were in the crossroads of many invasions, such as Alexander of Macedonia's take over of Parthia/Persia and Egypt, had already developed a level of high culture, where art flourished and a degree tolerance to the beliefs of their neighbours - particularly the Jewish - was already in force. Conquering though under the name of Islam, settled and developed Spain in particular as they had previously lived in Syria. They developed a knowledge based culture (with vast libraries) - rather than a religious one - were illiteracy was virtually eliminated in Spain, and the standard of living of the individual was the envy of most of Europe. Although there was pressure to convert or to Islamize the Iberian peninsula, it was done by offering political advancement and other incentives, in a process called Orientalization and oddly Iraqization. Under the Syrian Muslims, the Jews and Christians lived together in harmony, those who did not wish to convert were simply charged an extra tax. The Syrians brought their vast knowledge or gained knowledge of irrigation and cultivation to Spain. As they took over lands their knowledge of agriculture, would have increased along side of this. The lands which were conquered under Islam included Parthia or the Sasanian Empire or Persia, which had a long and illustrious history, with lands that stretched out to India. Anyone taking over these lands would have learned a great deal about methods of cultivating a variety of produce. There was one example, which indicated, where the knowledge of farming lay and that was in the story of the fertile belt in Arabia, which was ruled by Persian overlords, but once Islam came into force, these Persians were either overthrown or left, and it seems the knowledge left with them, as the fertile belt thereafter was overcome by the environment and dried up.
Today Spain is the biggest exporter of saffron in the world. Though they only produce about 4 tons each year, or 2% of the global production - down from 80 tons in the 1930's. Spain is the world's largest exporter, because, along with selling its own saffron, it imports saffron from Iran, Greece and Morocco, to supply its internal and the international market. Saffron was and always will remain a difficult plant to cultivate and with European wages - expensive as well. Most of the saffron is grown in the La Mancha region of Spain, made famous by the Cervantes novel, where Don Quixote, a medieval monk charged windmills. The process of harvesting is still done by hand, it takes 45 - 55 minutes to pick 1000 flowers and 370 - 470 man hours to produce 1kg of the spice. Many of the young people are no longer interested in this labour intensive work. The flowers are picked, exactly when they are fully bloomed, and the saffron strand or stigma is at its reddest. The harvesting must begin shortly after dawn, if left exposed to the sun, the saffron will quickly loose its color and flavour, and wither under the sun's light. When the saffron flowers are picked, they are then placed in baskets and the three delicate strands are pinched from each flower. It takes 450 000 - 550 000 strands to produce to produce 1kg (2lb) of the spice. Often the practiced older women in the family or the mondadoras work extremely fast and can work through 10 - 12,000 flowers per day. The strands are then carefully dried, by placing them in a silk sieve over glowing charcoal embers for about 20 - 45 minutes. Although there are now modern methods of drying saffron, such as dehydration, in most cases, age old methods are still employed, such as drying the saffron in the sun. Some saffron in Spain is now being grown using hydroponics, this realistically may be the future of the spice. In this way we can better control the nutrients and the atmospheric conditions which any plant is subjected to, thereby controlling the ultimate quality of spice, in a consistent way. Once the Moor rule ended; when they either converted to Christianity, were exiled or worst, saffron production had spread to neighboring countries like Germany and Italy. And Italy for a while became the largest producer of the spice in Europe. With Venice and Geneva being two main trading centers where the spice was sold. It was through an act of a King that Spain regained the upper hand in the saffron trade once again
Indicating that a great deal of knowledge actually came specifically from Persia. Most definitely the knowledge of cultivating saffron, which would seem to be without question, as the Arabian peninsula - which does not include Syria - has a climate which can not support the growing of saffron. Saffron needs a climate which has a hot summer, and a cool autumn or winter, the type of seasonal variations found in Iran - where today 90% of the world's saffron is grown. Iran - or at least portions of it - was conquered under the flag of Islam in 636, 70 years before Spain fell to these same forces. The dishes which were introduced into Spain, as Arabic, like rice - which needs a monsoon climate and saffron which needs wide seasonal variations, could not have found their way into Arab cuisine if they had not conquered and held onto Iran and all its lands. One of the other nations that the Syrians conquered was Morocco, previously a part of the larger country Mauritania, which included Algeria; was ruled by the Romans for 700 years, then by a series of conquerors, the Vandals, Goths, Visigoths, Byzantines; and for the most part a Christian country inhabited by the Berber people. Although the North Africans were skilled and contributed greatly to the Spain economy - under Syrian rule - they were always held as second class citizens to the Syrian overlords. Many left the country and returned to Morocco, after there was a revolt against this new rule. They were paradoxically controlled on and off - by the Syrian invaders, for 150 years, yet still remains Islamic, and Spain - or parts of it - was controlled for 900 years, but reverted back to Christianity. But this was no accident, the Spanish inquisition that rooted out any religious beliefs that were non Christian or were unacceptable variations of Christianity, wanted to extend their conversions, over to the south side of the Mediterranean to root out Islam there. It was the tradition since Roman times that the two sides of the Mediterranean would always work together. It should be no surprise that the saffron from these two neighboring countries closely resembles the other. Today most of Morocco's saffron is exported to Spain. And although the religion survives there, little remains of the knowledge based culture that gave the Moors their Greatness.