(source: Jana Wurstová)
Since ancient times, cultivation of high-quality saffron has been an integral part of life in the historic Horná Nitra (Upper Nitra) region, western Slovakia. In particular, the town of Bojnice was famous for the tradition.
Today, it has returned. Gradually, 10,000 tubers will be planted in the ground in different parts of the town so that the popular tourist destination can turn purple in autumn.
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"The first known mention of Bojnice saffron dates back to 1430. At that time, saffron gardens were in several places of the Bojnice county," explains the director of the local cultural centre, Vojtech Bartko.
The residents of Bojnice grew saffron not only for the noble, but also in their own gardens and fields. It is known that spices were bought in bulk from Bojnice, but chief gardeners of the Hungarian nobles also came here and bought saffron tubers from ordinary people as well.
Versatile use, exceptional quality
Saffron was used to flavour food, dye fabrics, in perfumery, even in occultism. It was used very often in medieval cuisine, people then did not have as many types of spices available as they do today. In that period, cereal porridges, meat, beer, mead, and even wine were flavoured with saffron.
The last known mention of large-scale cultivation of saffron in Bojnice dates back to 1752, when the saffron gardens were being gradually closed.
"Despite the fact that it was also grown in other parts of today's Slovakia, historical records speak of the exceptional quality of Bojnice saffron. German and English travellers wrote that it was of better quality than the one grown near the Mediterranean Sea, i.e. in Italy, France or Spain," explained Bartko.
Protected plant is back
The management of the city and the cultural centre, together with the regional tourism organisation Región Horná Nitra - Bojnice, decided to return saffron to Bojnice after almost 200 years.
"We were thinking about how to unite people from different parts of Bojnice, how to create an ancient identity that united everyone. Because Bojnice is not just a castle, zoo or spa. It is also a city that is small but unique. And its identity disappeared, overshadowed by well-known tourist attractions. It is saffron that binds Bojnice and the region together," Bartko thinks.
In autumn, when the saffron blooms, it will decorate the access road to the Bojnice, the square, its individual parts; in other words, the town will be coloured purple.
The goal is for spread joy among the locals of Bojnice. "In the first phase, we are aiming for a decorative purpose, in the future we are thinking of creating a saffron garden where people will be able to collect saffron spices. The town will also use it as gifts for guests and delegations during visits," the director of the centre explains, adding that they want to revive the symbol which made Bojnice famous in the past.
©My Horná Nitra
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