Did you know? Saffron is grown in the Brie region of Ile-de-France.

Incredible but true! Saffron is blooming again in the Brie region, just an hour from Paris, in small, artisanal saffron factories that are bringing thered gold back to the soil of the Paris region.

Would you like to learn more about this spice, one of the most prestigious and laborious to harvest, prized for its medicinal virtues and used in many gastronomies around the world, particularly in Iranian, Indian and, more generally, Mediterranean cuisine?

Put on your boots and follow the guide to discover Brie saffron.

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A renaissance culture in Jouarre

Since 2015, the family farm Ferme du Grand Balleau, in Jouarre in Seine-et-Marne (77), not far from Coulommiers, has been growing saffron organically at the gateway to the dairy-rich Brie region, until then nourished by rhubarb and cereals.

This project, supported by the Île-de-France Region and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), marks a turning point: to restore saffron to its rightful place in the Île-de-France region as an innovative local product.

At the gateway to the forest of Fontainebleau, Ferme du Grand Balleau offers its organic saffron in several forms: pure in filament form, but also in jams, syrups, honeys, vinegars and nectars.

Why is the Brie region ideal for growing saffron?

It has to be said that local conditions in the Brie region are favorable. Brie is characterized by clay-limestone soils and light, well-drained land - perfect for growing Crocus sativus (the Latin name for saffron), with its delicate, demanding bulb.

Flowering and harvesting are extremely meticulous. The corms are planted in July-August and flower between September and November, over a window of one to two weeks. The flowers must then be picked at dawn, and the red stigmas extracted by hand - a slow, precise process.

What makes saffron so special

Saffron from the Paris region is grown on a small scale and in a short circuit, in contrast to the large plantations in Spain and Iran. A rare, local spice that demands meticulous attention!

Each flower yields just three stigmas, requiring thousands of blossoms to obtain just a few grams of dry saffron, which is as sapid (its fragrance is warm, its aroma floral and metallic) as it is medicinal (it's a natural antioxidant).

Much more than a rare spice, Brie saffron is a message of agricultural renewal and an invitation to rediscover the richness of the Ile-de-France terroir. It's a return to a niche form of agriculture that's authentic, sustainable and rich in flavor, just like other emblematic products from Seine-et-Marne and Ile-de-France, such as Nemours poppies and Brie cheeses.

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