WEBVTT 00:00:01.913 --> 00:00:04.691 The most expensive spice in the world is saffron, 00:00:04.691 --> 00:00:06.469 and honestly, for good reason. 00:00:06.469 --> 00:00:09.717 It takes a thousand flowers to produce just one ounce, 00:00:09.717 --> 00:00:11.509 but now, if you can believe it, 00:00:11.509 --> 00:00:15.600 harvesting the magical stuff is getting even more complicated. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:17.095 --> 00:00:18.467 SPICE OF LIFE NOTE Paragraph 00:00:26.349 --> 00:00:29.080 line:1 (Mohammad) We sow these seeds that we take from the old stock. 00:00:29.080 --> 00:00:31.203 line:1 4 or 5-year old seeds. 00:00:32.579 --> 00:00:36.273 line:1 We take seeds when they have thickened. 00:00:36.273 --> 00:00:41.067 line:1 Then we distribute and sow them in rows. 00:00:41.558 --> 00:00:45.037 line:1 Then, by the second year, it starts producing in good numbers. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:45.037 --> 00:00:45.729 Flower by flower, this is the world's most expensive spice. 00:00:45.729 --> 00:00:54.014 And Mohammad Yusuf has picked these saffron buds since he was 10 years old 00:00:54.014 --> 00:00:57.789 on a one-acre farm that's been in his family for generations. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:57.789 --> 00:01:02.869 line:1 This is the season of flowers, and we're now collecting them. 00:01:02.869 --> 00:01:05.789 line:1 Whatever we harvest in in our fate. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:06.498 --> 00:01:09.872 Saffron is harvested in a two-week window each fall. 00:01:09.872 --> 00:01:14.266 It only grows at a specific altitude, which in India means Kashmir, 00:01:14.266 --> 00:01:16.788 a territory at the foothills of the Himalayas, 00:01:16.788 --> 00:01:20.184 where about 32,000 people cultivate the spice. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:20.184 --> 00:01:21.483 line:1 See, this is a flower. 00:01:21.483 --> 00:01:26.139 line:1 When we reach home, we will open and separate it like this. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:26.139 --> 00:01:31.715 Those red strings, once dried, sell for up to $4,000 a kilogram, 00:01:31.715 --> 00:01:34.483 and a few of those will pay the bills for the year. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:34.483 --> 00:01:36.449 line:1 We work until late night. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:36.449 --> 00:01:36.816 line:1 Yes. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:36.816 --> 00:01:40.206 line:1 There is no disturbances at night. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:40.206 --> 00:01:47.236 Kashmir saffron is wildly popular across India for its use in basic cuisines, 00:01:47.236 --> 00:01:48.819 Ayurvedic medicine, 00:01:48.819 --> 00:01:49.850 and is a dye, 00:01:49.850 --> 00:01:53.074 which is used for Hindu religious garments and the Indian flag. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:54.906 --> 00:01:58.519 Saffron is also the color of the Hindu nationalist movement 00:01:58.519 --> 00:02:02.128 that's pledged its undying support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 00:02:02.128 --> 00:02:05.162 who has long sought more control over Kashmir, 00:02:05.162 --> 00:02:09.724 a majority Muslim area that's dealt with the Pakistani-backed separatist movement 00:02:09.724 --> 00:02:11.572 for decades. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:11.572 --> 00:02:15.238 In August 2019, Modi changed the Constitution 00:02:15.238 --> 00:02:17.631 to take away Kashmir's Special Autonomy. 00:02:17.631 --> 00:02:20.914 One nation, one constitution. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:20.914 --> 00:02:22.212 He imposed a lockdown 00:02:22.212 --> 00:02:24.687 and cut off phone and internet services for months 00:02:24.687 --> 00:02:26.813 to prevent a mass uprising. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:27.536 --> 00:02:31.256 The political lockdown has since been replaced by a COVID-19 one, 00:02:31.256 --> 00:02:34.315 but Kashmiris still haven't gotten their internet freedoms back, 00:02:34.315 --> 00:02:38.515 which has stunted the saffron trade and hit growers hard. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:38.515 --> 00:02:41.495 And on top of all that, 00:02:41.495 --> 00:02:43.995 farmers are facing an additional threat. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:43.995 --> 00:02:45.117 Climate change. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:45.117 --> 00:02:46.871 line:1 Since global warming, 00:02:46.871 --> 00:02:50.198 line:1 we've been facing a great loss. 00:02:50.198 --> 00:02:53.723 line:1 Before, we had rain during our times of need. 00:02:53.723 --> 00:03:00.220 line:1 But since that rain disappeared, we've been badly affected. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:01.470 --> 00:03:03.109 Close to a third of Kashmir saffron fields have disappeared since 1997, 00:03:06.423 --> 00:03:11.066 a crisis which prompted the government to invest 54 million dollars in 2010 00:03:11.066 --> 00:03:13.550 into reviving the industry. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:13.550 --> 00:03:17.687 line:1 They dug wells, placed pipes, et cetera, 00:03:17.687 --> 00:03:20.117 line:1 by they failed to deliver the water. 00:03:20.117 --> 00:03:24.523 line:1 Whatever they show, it is far from reality. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:24.523 --> 00:03:30.705 After nine years, only about 15% of the sprinkler systems 00:03:30.705 --> 00:03:32.291 meant to help farmers have been built. 00:03:33.341 --> 00:03:35.065 Though the government has been slow 00:03:35.065 --> 00:03:37.431 to set up the infrastructure meant to boost production, 00:03:37.431 --> 00:03:41.136 it has come up with a plan to sell future harvests at a better price. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:42.148 --> 00:03:45.735 line:1 Our saffron qualitatively is the best in the world. 00:03:45.735 --> 00:03:48.430 line:1 In terms of aroma, taste, and flavor. 00:03:50.850 --> 00:03:53.963 line:1 We decided that we'd campaign before the authorities 00:03:53.963 --> 00:03:55.771 line:1 that we must get to the GI tag. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:56.751 --> 00:03:59.844 GI stands for "Geographical Indication," 00:03:59.844 --> 00:04:04.618 a status the World Trade Organization, gave to Kashmiri saffron in July 2020 00:04:04.618 --> 00:04:07.190 to certify its superior traits. 00:04:07.190 --> 00:04:09.581 Farmers can now get their harvest GI tag 00:04:09.581 --> 00:04:13.132 at a brand-new government processing facility. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:13.132 --> 00:04:15.455 line:1 The adulteration which otherwise used to be done 00:04:15.455 --> 00:04:17.846 line:1 or repacking the saffron from the other countries 00:04:17.846 --> 00:04:20.499 line:1 on the name of the Kashmiri saffron will stop, 00:04:20.499 --> 00:04:25.250 line:1 and it will generate huge revenues and a premium price for the farmers. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:28.018 --> 00:04:32.486 Compared to Iranian saffron, which makes up 90% of the world supply, 00:04:32.486 --> 00:04:36.436 the Kashmiri variant has almost 30% more crosin, 00:04:36.436 --> 00:04:39.204 a compound that gives the spice its rich redness, 00:04:39.204 --> 00:04:42.124 pain relieving properties, and a taste so unique, 00:04:42.124 --> 00:04:45.675 that Kashmiri chefs won't stand for using anything else. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:45.675 --> 00:04:49.339 line:1 There is a certain elegance in our Kashmiri saffron. 00:04:49.339 --> 00:04:51.289 line:1 There is saffron from Iran, 00:04:51.289 --> 00:04:53.946 line:1 but it only gives [food] color, just like turmeric. 00:04:53.946 --> 00:04:59.804 line:1 But our saffron reflects Kashmiri culture. 00:04:59.804 --> 00:05:01.582 line:1 You can tell the two apart from their taste. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:03.106 --> 00:05:06.468 Bilal Ahmed oversees the preparation of wazwan, 00:05:06.468 --> 00:05:10.169 a traditional feast made for weddings, family gatherings, even funerals. 00:05:10.988 --> 00:05:13.639 Saffron is a key ingredient in several main dishes of the meal 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:17.047 that can stretch for dozens of courses. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:17.047 --> 00:05:19.886 line:1 We bring saffron, then dry it on a copper plate. 00:05:19.886 --> 00:05:22.771 line:1 Then we crush it with a mortar and pestle. 00:05:22.771 --> 00:05:27.182 line:1 Next, we add some water to make a paste out of it. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:31.115 --> 00:05:34.663 A proper wazwan typically requires two to three dozen chefs, 00:05:34.663 --> 00:05:35.732 one ton of meat, 00:05:35.732 --> 00:05:39.114 and about 50 grams or $200 worth of saffron. 00:05:39.970 --> 00:05:43.288 But wazwan have been smaller than usual for more than a year now, 00:05:43.288 --> 00:05:47.489 as the political and pandemic lockdowns have limited the size of gatherings. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:47.489 --> 00:05:49.363 line:1 For example, we were supposed to cook 00:05:49.363 --> 00:05:51.883 line:1 12 to 13 quintals of meat [2,600 lbs.-2,900 lbs.] 00:05:51.883 --> 00:05:53.984 line:1 for this function, 00:05:53.984 --> 00:05:56.885 line:1 but now it is only two and a half to three quintals [550 lbs.- 660 lbs.]. 00:05:56.885 --> 00:05:57.357 line:1 It's made a lot of difference. 00:05:57.357 --> 00:06:01.316 line:1 Our business is being affected, and it will change our culture. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:03.950 --> 00:06:07.937 Life in Kashmir isn't just changing because of the pandemic, 00:06:07.937 --> 00:06:09.255 a political crisis, 00:06:09.255 --> 00:06:10.668 or global warming. 00:06:10.668 --> 00:06:13.496 The kids who grew up here are now making different choices, 00:06:13.496 --> 00:06:16.550 looking for opportunities outside the saffron fields 00:06:16.550 --> 00:06:18.918 and the kitchens of their homeland. 00:06:18.918 --> 00:06:20.216 For chef Ahmed, 00:06:20.216 --> 00:06:24.141 that means working harder to keep his culture thriving. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:24.141 --> 00:06:27.833 line:1 Our children aren't keen to do this work because it's very laborious. 00:06:27.833 --> 00:06:31.515 line:1 They say, "We will do some other business, but not all this." 00:06:31.515 --> 00:06:35.082 line:1 This will go on because I can't find comfort 00:06:35.082 --> 00:06:38.154 line:1 in doing anything else.