AI-generated illustration
Midi-Pyrénées
Purple flowers on the causse de Cajarc, hand-picked one by one: it takes two hundred of them for a single gram of "red gold".
Spice or condiment from Midi-Pyrénées.
AI-generated illustration
Saffron has been cultivated in the Quercy since the Middle Ages, and reached its height from the 15th to the 18th century. It is one of the culinary treasures in which the province takes great pride, alongside chasselas de Moissac, black truffle or foie gras.
AI-generated illustration
In recent years, the purple flowers have once again been blooming across the causse de Cajarc and the surrounding area from October to November. Today, the Lot presents saffron among its signature products, under the name "red gold of Quercy".
Around Cajarc, a round bastide in the Lot valley situated on the chemin de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, an association, "Cajarc, cité du safran", and local stakeholders organise tours and events to help visitors discover this heritage. Every year, on the penultimate weekend of October, the saffron festival brings together tours of saffron farms, a large saffron market, and a "Tout au safran" gourmet dinner; the first fortnight of August hosts a taste day devoted to saffron and its derived products.
Appearance
three red filaments, cut at the base of the flower of Crocus sativus, a perennial plant 20 to 40 cm tall with purple flowers.
from October to November, the flowers are harvested by hand.
the three red filaments are delicately cut by hand at the base of the flower.
Harvesting 200 flowers is required to obtain 1 g of dried saffron: this labour explains the spice's price, rarity, and nickname of "red gold".
AI-generated illustration
Safran du Quercy can be tasted in the saffron-infused products available throughout the year in Cajarc, and even more so in summer. During the October festival, Sunday lunch showcases a traditional saffron dish: pigs' trotters. Local recipes are brought together in the book "Tout au safran", published by the producers' association and available from the Cajarc tourist office.
No producer is listed for this product yet.