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| Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity |
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17/06/2009 |
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Red Gold of the Anti-Atlas
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A delegation from the Slow Food Foundation, comprising Serena Milano and Michela Lenta (Slow Food), Matteo Fabbri (a young member from the Valdarno convivium) and Francesco Sottile (Lecturer in Arboriculture at the University of Palermo and a Foundation consultant) recently met food communities from south-eastern Morocco in the zone between the Anti-Atlas mountains and the Sahara desert.
One important destination was Taliouine, a village in the mountains and main center for the Saffron Presidium. To the west argan trees gradually take over (beginning in the village of Assaki and continuing to the sea) and to the east in the direction of Ouarzazate, roses are grown.
Here on the Souktana plateau between 1300 and 1500 meters, is where saffron growing has the oldest traditions in Morocco. Eleven producers—brought together in the Agricultural Cooperative of Taliouine and supported by the Moroccan NGO Migration et Développement—cultivate small plots of land (reaching a maximum area of one hectare) and in October and November, together with their families, harvest the flowers at dawn when they are still closed. After being placed in a cool room, the precious stigma are then separated by hand. Different varieties of saffron do not exist, but as a result of the soil, climate and skill of the producers, it appears that only on the Souktana plateau is such a high-quality product obtained. It is a little less deeply colored than other saffron, but its aroma and flavor are noticeably more intense. The name of the cooperative (Taliouine) is taken from the village on the plateau: historically the village souk is the main market for local saffron.
 Nowadays production is not limited to Souktana, but has extended to various surrounding areas. In recent years the saffron has begun to establish a name for itself and work is under way to obtain a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication). A first difficult problem that must be dealt with by the experts working on the PGI will be to define the historical production area. The product’s recent fame is beginning to attract the attention of foreign business interests, who have arrived in the area to buy land and invest in saffron.
It is therefore all the more important to work with the Presidium to protect and support the small-scale producers on the plateau.
The project’s next stages will involve drawing up production rules, which will indicate the historical production area for Taliouine saffron, carrying out an analysis of the land on the Souktana plateau, and comparing samples of saffron from the Souktana plateau with samples from other areas.
From November 27 to 30, 2009 the Presidium saffron producers will attend Eurogusto, the event organized by Slow Food France in Tours, and the Slow Food Foundation will organize an exchange between some of the Taliouine producers and saffron producers from other European Presidia. However the main event for the producers will be the third edition of the Taliouine Saffron Festival, to be held in early November. Among the possibilities discussed has been a particularly ambitious idea of making this event into a Terra Madre Morocco, with the participation of all the country’s food communities.
At the end of the meeting the eleven Presidium producers joined Slow Food to strengthen their involvement with the association and the Terra Madre network.
Morocco – Taliouine Saffron
In the heart of a bare plateau at the edge of the Argan forest, Taliouine (in South West Morocco) is famous for its excellent saffron. Cultivated at an altitude between 1200 and 2400 meters in a very dry zone, Taliouine saffron has a high concentration of safranal and intense aroma, with characteristic floral notes. The whole family works to harvest the flowers which grow in small fields dug out of the rocky land, and then continue processing in the courtyards of their houses, sipping saffron-flavored tea.
Production Area: Taliouine, Province of Taroudant
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