It’s actually in Shanghai. The New Year’s number says “the hidden specialty of the Yangtze River Delta” | the largest saffron producing area
Is saffron a specialty of Chongming, Shanghai? Shouldn't saffron come from Tibet? I believe you, like many Shanghai netizens, have raised such questions.
In fact, there are two major misunderstandings here. First, the origin of saffron is not Tibet. Saffron is originally from Iran in the Middle East. It was introduced from Tibet to the Central Plains during the Han and Jin Dynasties and got the name "saffron". Second, Chongming has the largest saffron planting area in the country, and saffron can indeed be said to be a specialty of Chongming.
This will trace the history of saffron planting in Chongming.
In the 1980s, my country introduced a batch of saffron bulbs and planting techniques adapted to local conditions from Japan. Chongming, Jiading, Shanghai, Hubei, Henan and other regions began trial planting.
Among them, Chongming has gradually developed into the largest saffron planting base in China due to its sandy soil, good air permeability and water conservancy, suitable climate conditions, and high saffron reproduction coefficient.
Even before the 1990s, saffron bulbs were only available in Shanghai, and their export was strictly controlled. At that time, Chongming's saffron production could be described as "the largest one", and it was also said that "the output accounted for 90% of domestic saffron".
With the development of the market economy, saffron bulbs have also begun to be traded as commodities in the market. Planting technology has also become increasingly mature in other regions. Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan and other places have successfully planted them one after another.
However, even in today's fiercely competitive saffron market, Chongming saffron still has a very unique competitive advantage, that is, it is of higher quality and more suitable for medicinal use.
The quality of saffron mainly depends on the content of crocin, a medicinal ingredient. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia standard is that the sum of the contents of crocin-ⅰ and crocin-ⅱ shall not be less than 10%, and the content of picrocrocin shall not be less than 5%. Professional measurement data shows that the content of saffron produced in Chongming can reach 35%, while the content of saffron produced in Iran is about 20%. Therefore, the market price of Chongming saffron is generally 50 yuan per gram, which is relatively high, almost twice that of imported saffron.
The active ingredient of saffron is crocin, which is also the pigment in saffron. Therefore, from the appearance point of view, the darker the red color of saffron, the higher the content of crocin and the better the quality.
At present, the area planted with saffron in Chongming is about 1,000 acres, with an annual silk production of 600-700 kilograms. Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Group is a major purchaser of Chongming saffron, and it is also a major seller of saffron medicines in China. According to the relevant person in charge of the group, the saffron produced in Chongming accounts for about 80% of the group's output every year, and the saffron produced by the group eventually goes to hospitals. Or a pharmaceutical company.
Outstanding quality and long-term accumulation of product applications in partnership with Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Group have also allowed Saffron to "cross-border" the beauty industry. In the past few years, Shanghai Pharmaceuticals also developed three saffron facial masks. All 1 million masks produced in the first year were sold out, and the market response was enthusiastic. At the Flower Expo opening in Chongming in 2021, Chongming’s high-quality saffron was also launched in the form of scented tea, facial masks, sunscreen and other products.
Therefore, Chongming saffron is not only a real specialty of Shanghai, but also a hidden king that wins by quality!
