1 00:00:01,913 --> 00:00:04,691 The most expensive spice in the world is saffron, 2 00:00:04,691 --> 00:00:06,469 and honestly, for good reason. 3 00:00:06,469 --> 00:00:09,717 It takes a thousand flowers to produce just one ounce, 4 00:00:09,717 --> 00:00:11,509 but now, if you can believe it, 5 00:00:11,509 --> 00:00:15,600 harvesting the magical stuff is getting even more complicated. 6 00:00:17,095 --> 00:00:18,467 SPICE OF LIFE 7 00:00:26,349 --> 00:00:29,080 (Mohammad) We sow these seeds that we take from the old stock. 8 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:31,203 4 or 5-year old seeds. 9 00:00:32,579 --> 00:00:36,273 We take seeds when they have thickened. 10 00:00:36,273 --> 00:00:41,067 Then we distribute and sow them in rows. 11 00:00:41,558 --> 00:00:45,037 Then, by the second year, it starts producing in good numbers. 12 00:00:45,037 --> 00:00:45,729 Flower by flower, this is the world's most expensive spice. 13 00:00:45,729 --> 00:00:54,014 And Mohammad Yusuf has picked these saffron buds since he was 10 years old 14 00:00:54,014 --> 00:00:57,789 on a one-acre farm that's been in his family for generations. 15 00:00:57,789 --> 00:01:02,869 This is the season of flowers, and we're now collecting them. 16 00:01:02,869 --> 00:01:05,789 Whatever we harvest in in our fate. 17 00:01:06,498 --> 00:01:09,872 Saffron is harvested in a two-week window each fall. 18 00:01:09,872 --> 00:01:14,266 It only grows at a specific altitude, which in India means Kashmir, 19 00:01:14,266 --> 00:01:16,788 a territory at the foothills of the Himalayas, 20 00:01:16,788 --> 00:01:20,184 where about 32,000 people cultivate the spice. 21 00:01:20,184 --> 00:01:21,483 See, this is a flower. 22 00:01:21,483 --> 00:01:26,139 When we reach home, we will open and separate it like this. 23 00:01:26,139 --> 00:01:31,715 Those red strings, once dried, sell for up to $4,000 a kilogram, 24 00:01:31,715 --> 00:01:34,483 and a few of those will pay the bills for the year. 25 00:01:34,483 --> 00:01:36,449 We work until late night. 26 00:01:36,449 --> 00:01:36,816 Yes. 27 00:01:36,816 --> 00:01:40,206 There is no disturbances at night. 28 00:01:40,206 --> 00:01:47,236 Kashmir saffron is wildly popular across India for its use in basic cuisines, 29 00:01:47,236 --> 00:01:48,819 Ayurvedic medicine, 30 00:01:48,819 --> 00:01:49,850 and is a dye, 31 00:01:49,850 --> 00:01:53,074 which is used for Hindu religious garments and the Indian flag. 32 00:01:54,906 --> 00:01:58,519 Saffron is also the color of the Hindu nationalist movement 33 00:01:58,519 --> 00:02:02,128 that's pledged its undying support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 34 00:02:02,128 --> 00:02:05,162 who has long sought more control over Kashmir, 35 00:02:05,162 --> 00:02:09,724 a majority Muslim area that's dealt with the Pakistani-backed separatist movement 36 00:02:09,724 --> 00:02:11,572 for decades. 37 00:02:11,572 --> 00:02:15,238 In August 2019, Modi changed the Constitution 38 00:02:15,238 --> 00:02:17,631 to take away Kashmir's Special Autonomy. 39 00:02:17,631 --> 00:02:20,914 One nation, one constitution. 40 00:02:20,914 --> 00:02:22,212 He imposed a lockdown 41 00:02:22,212 --> 00:02:24,687 and cut off phone and internet services for months 42 00:02:24,687 --> 00:02:26,813 to prevent a mass uprising. 43 00:02:27,536 --> 00:02:31,256 The political lockdown has since been replaced by a COVID-19 one, 44 00:02:31,256 --> 00:02:34,315 but Kashmiris still haven't gotten their internet freedoms back, 45 00:02:34,315 --> 00:02:38,515 which has stunted the saffron trade and hit growers hard. 46 00:02:38,515 --> 00:02:41,495 And on top of all that, 47 00:02:41,495 --> 00:02:43,995 farmers are facing an additional threat. 48 00:02:43,995 --> 00:02:45,117 Climate change. 49 00:02:45,117 --> 00:02:46,871 Since global warming, 50 00:02:46,871 --> 00:02:50,198 we've been facing a great loss. 51 00:02:50,198 --> 00:02:53,723 Before, we had rain during our times of need. 52 00:02:53,723 --> 00:03:00,220 But since that rain disappeared, we've been badly affected. 53 00:03:01,470 --> 00:03:03,109 Close to a third of Kashmir saffron fields have disappeared since 1997, 54 00:03:06,423 --> 00:03:11,066 a crisis which prompted the government to invest 54 million dollars in 2010 55 00:03:11,066 --> 00:03:13,550 into reviving the industry. 56 00:03:13,550 --> 00:03:17,687 They dug wells, placed pipes, et cetera, 57 00:03:17,687 --> 00:03:20,117 by they failed to deliver the water. 58 00:03:20,117 --> 00:03:24,523 Whatever they show, it is far from reality. 59 00:03:24,523 --> 00:03:30,705 After nine years, only about 15% of the sprinkler systems 60 00:03:30,705 --> 00:03:32,291 meant to help farmers have been built. 61 00:03:33,341 --> 00:03:35,065 Though the government has been slow 62 00:03:35,065 --> 00:03:37,431 to set up the infrastructure meant to boost production, 63 00:03:37,431 --> 00:03:41,136 it has come up with a plan to sell future harvests at a better price. 64 00:03:42,148 --> 00:03:45,735 Our saffron qualitatively is the best in the world. 65 00:03:45,735 --> 00:03:48,430 In terms of aroma, taste, and flavor. 66 00:03:50,850 --> 00:03:53,963 We decided that we'd campaign before the authorities 67 00:03:53,963 --> 00:03:55,771 that we must get to the GI tag. 68 00:03:56,751 --> 00:03:59,844 GI stands for "Geographical Indication," 69 00:03:59,844 --> 00:04:04,618 a status the World Trade Organization, gave to Kashmiri saffron in July 2020 70 00:04:04,618 --> 00:04:07,190 to certify its superior traits. 71 00:04:07,190 --> 00:04:09,581 Farmers can now get their harvest GI tag 72 00:04:09,581 --> 00:04:13,132 at a brand-new government processing facility. 73 00:04:13,132 --> 00:04:15,455 The adulteration which otherwise used to be done 74 00:04:15,455 --> 00:04:17,846 or repacking the saffron from the other countries 75 00:04:17,846 --> 00:04:20,499 on the name of the Kashmiri saffron will stop, 76 00:04:20,499 --> 00:04:25,250 and it will generate huge revenues and a premium price for the farmers. 77 00:04:28,018 --> 00:04:32,486 Compared to Iranian saffron, which makes up 90% of the world supply, 78 00:04:32,486 --> 00:04:36,436 the Kashmiri variant has almost 30% more crosin, 79 00:04:36,436 --> 00:04:39,204 a compound that gives the spice its rich redness, 80 00:04:39,204 --> 00:04:42,124 pain relieving properties, and a taste so unique, 81 00:04:42,124 --> 00:04:45,675 that Kashmiri chefs won't stand for using anything else. 82 00:04:45,675 --> 00:04:49,339 There is a certain elegance in our Kashmiri saffron. 83 00:04:49,339 --> 00:04:51,289 There is saffron from Iran, 84 00:04:51,289 --> 00:04:53,946 but it only gives [food] color, just like turmeric. 85 00:04:53,946 --> 00:04:59,804 But our saffron reflects Kashmiri culture. 86 00:04:59,804 --> 00:05:01,582 You can tell the two apart from their taste. 87 00:05:03,106 --> 00:05:06,468 Bilal Ahmed oversees the preparation of wazwan, 88 00:05:06,468 --> 00:05:10,169 a traditional feast made for weddings, family gatherings, even funerals. 89 00:05:10,988 --> 00:05:13,639 Saffron is a key ingredient in several main dishes of the meal 90 00:05:13,639 --> 00:05:17,047 that can stretch for dozens of courses. 91 00:05:17,047 --> 00:05:19,886 We bring saffron, then dry it on a copper plate. 92 00:05:19,886 --> 00:05:22,771 Then we crush it with a mortar and pestle. 93 00:05:22,771 --> 00:05:27,182 Next, we add some water to make a paste out of it. 94 00:05:31,115 --> 00:05:34,663 A proper wazwan typically requires two to three dozen chefs, 95 00:05:34,663 --> 00:05:35,732 one ton of meat, 96 00:05:35,732 --> 00:05:39,114 and about 50 grams or $200 worth of saffron. 97 00:05:39,970 --> 00:05:43,288 But wazwan have been smaller than usual for more than a year now, 98 00:05:43,288 --> 00:05:47,489 as the political and pandemic lockdowns have limited the size of gatherings. 99 00:05:47,489 --> 00:05:49,363 For example, we were supposed to cook 100 00:05:49,363 --> 00:05:51,883 12 to 13 quintals of meat [2,600 lbs.-2,900 lbs.] 101 00:05:51,883 --> 00:05:53,984 for this function, 102 00:05:53,984 --> 00:05:56,885 but now it is only two and a half to three quintals [550 lbs.- 660 lbs.]. 103 00:05:56,885 --> 00:05:57,357 It's made a lot of difference. 104 00:05:57,357 --> 00:06:01,316 Our business is being affected, and it will change our culture. 105 00:06:03,950 --> 00:06:07,937 Life in Kashmir isn't just changing because of the pandemic, 106 00:06:07,937 --> 00:06:09,255 a political crisis, 107 00:06:09,255 --> 00:06:10,668 or global warming. 108 00:06:10,668 --> 00:06:13,496 The kids who grew up here are now making different choices, 109 00:06:13,496 --> 00:06:16,550 looking for opportunities outside the saffron fields 110 00:06:16,550 --> 00:06:18,918 and the kitchens of their homeland. 111 00:06:18,918 --> 00:06:20,216 For chef Ahmed, 112 00:06:20,216 --> 00:06:24,141 that means working harder to keep his culture thriving. 113 00:06:24,141 --> 00:06:27,833 Our children aren't keen to do this work because it's very laborious. 114 00:06:27,833 --> 00:06:31,515 They say, "We will do some other business, but not all this." 115 00:06:31,515 --> 00:06:35,082 This will go on because I can't find comfort 116 00:06:35,082 --> 00:06:38,154 in doing anything else.