The yearly saffron harvest is in full swing in Greece in the northern city of Kozani. Everywhere you look, you will see hundreds of farmers crouched over fields of blooming purple flowers for hours, picking which has long been the world’s most expensive spice.
To mark the occasion, we share our top five facts you should know about saffron and the harvest season in Greece.
1. What is saffron?
Saffron, known as krokos in Greek, is highly treasured not only for its delicate, unique taste and vibrant hue, but also because of its painstaking, labour-intensive harvesting process.
The spice originates from a flower called crocus sativus—commonly known as the “saffron crocus.” It is believed that saffron originated and was first cultivated in Greece, but today the spice is primarily grown in Iran, Greece, Morocco, and India.
A worker holds dried saffron stigmas at the Cooperative of Saffron premises in Krokos. Photo: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters.
2. The harvest:
Each flower produces only three threads (stigmas) of saffron, and it blooms for only one week each year. The saffron must be harvested by hand in the mid-morning, when the flowers are still closed in order to protect the delicate stigmas inside.
Once the farmers have harvested all of the saffron, the much-prized spice is taken back to the cooperative to be dried. Once ready for market, the saffron is packaged and distributed in Greece and around the world.
Members of the Patsiouras family harvest saffron flowers at their field in Krokos. Photo: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters.
Around 150,000 flowers are needed to yield just one kilogram of the precious spice in its dried form. That’s why you’ll pay $10 to $13 per gram for the real deal.
3. The ancient Greek myth:
The ancient Greeks explained the existence of saffron with a myth: Krokos was a young Spartan and friend of the God Hermes. One day, the two friends were playing. While playing, Hermes hit his friend Krokos by accident on the head and he died.
At the place where he died a flower grew, symbolising the body of Krokos. Three drops of his blood fell in the center of the flower and these drops became its stigmata. Ever since the flower is called Krokos, and the stigmata give us the famous saffron.
Saffron flowers.
4. What is saffron used for?
Saffron’s striking colour can be used to dye food and even fabric. Due to its unique taste, saffron is also used in cuisines around the world.
Throughout history, the spice was also used in religious practices, traditional medicine and even beauty routines.
A French boulangerie in Sydney’s south is rising above the trials and tribulations of Covid lockdowns.
Queens Pastri House owner Patricia Kafarakis counts herself lucky to have recently celebrated five years in the business.
“When a vision becomes a goal, the goal becomes a dream, but when one door closes, another one opens – then it’s no longer called a dream, it’s called evolving,” she writes on Facebook.
“If we have learnt anything in the past two years, it’s that if Covid 20-21 didn’t kill us, then we are certainly crazy enough, strong enough, and definitely believe in us to know that giving you our best is not our best yet.”
Bayside Council has approved plans to move the bakery in Ramsgate 10 minutes down the road from its current location.
The Celtic boss got sentimental about his time both as a player and a coach on the team around the 1980-90s.
“I grew up there. I was a ball boy, I was a junior, I was a senior player, captain, coach – it very much forms the part of the person I am today,” he said.
“Get down to the ground, it’s going to be a unique atmosphere where you really understand what the lifeblood of football is.”
“Good luck to everyone, particularly my old club, and I look forward to an entertaining game.”
The former NSL heavyweights will battle the A-League champions in Friday night’s FFA Cup match at Lakeside Stadium.
Sakkari is enjoying a breakthrough year having reached the semifinals of the French Open and US Open to reach a career-high world ranking of number six.
She is the first Greek woman to qualify for the WTA Finals.
Sakkari and Swiatek will face off twice more in the round-robin event.
Thessaloniki has become the first Greek city to join the UNESCO Network of Gastronomy.
Thessaloniki mayor Konstantinos Zervas pointed to the city’s cultural and historic significance in his submission to the UN body.
“Gastronomy is a key competitive advantage of Thessaloniki – our city is at a crossroads of flavours and cultures, and now it has UNESCO’s seal of approval,” he said.
Thessaloniki mayor Konstantinos Zervas (left), Deputy Tourism Minister Sophia Zacharaki (right) (Left: Ektoras Nikolakis Photography) (Right: about.me/sophiazacharaki)
Deputy Tourism Minister Sophia Zacharaki said the listing will boost visitors to the city.
“The benefits of such membership are enormous for each city selected by UNESCO,” she said, noting that it vindicates “many months of effort” to secure the listing.
Thessaloniki is an open museum of early Christian and Byzantine art which holds 15 monuments recognised by UNESCO.
A new charity called the Australian Resilience Corps aims to combat the impact of natural disasters.
It joins a coalition of groups including Disaster Relief Australia, Red Cross, and Lifeline.
South Australian farmer Anastasia Bougesis has seen the damage floods and fires cause in outback communities in her time with Disaster Relief Australia (DRA).
“We support individuals and communities who have been affected by disasters and help them on their recovery journey,” she tells Daily Telegraph.
Bougesis is a trained nurse and paramedic who has led relief operations in response to Hurricane Irma in the US and Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean.
Anastasia Bougesis led relief operations in response to Hurricane Maria (Photo: Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo/The Washington Post)
“I became a paramedic because I loved the idea of being able to support people on their worst days,” the Flinders University alumni tells the university.
She is the chief development officer at DRA, a charity that coordinates disaster relief teams made up of military veterans and first responders.
“Some days we can be out using chainsaws, fencing, sifting ashes, or removing structures,” she said.
“We really do whatever it takes to get people back on their feet.”
In a joint letter to Greece’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andreas Katsaniotis, the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA), the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW) and the World Council for Hellenes Abroad (SAE), have called for the formation of a Department for the Greek Diaspora.
The four Greek organisations congratulate Mr Katsaniotis and the Greek government in their letter for their initiatives concerning issues about the Greek diaspora in Australia, but say they are yet to receive a response from the government on their request for a Department for the Greek Diaspora.
“The Greek diaspora play an important role in Greece’s economy and has always supported the homeland,” the letter states.
“Only with the formation of a Department for the Greek Diaspora will the diaspora be able to collaborate with Greece and coordinate initiatives for the strengthening of our homeland.”
The letter concludes by stating that now is the right time for the formation of the Department as Greece celebrates the 200th anniversary of the start of the Greek Revolution.
Turkey has accused Greece of lying about migrant pushbacks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the accusations on Thursday during a visit from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“It is Greece condemning refugees to their deaths in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas,” Erdogan said during a televised news conference, adding he had proof.
“It is ungrateful for [Greece] to say that Turkey is the source of the problem while our country is hosting 5 million refugees.”
“If we open our borders, I do not know what Greece will suffer, what Greece will do.”
He slammed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for “lying” and “not behaving honestly”.
Mitsotakis claimed on Tuesday that Turkey is “instrumentalising migration”.
“Rather than putting the blame on Greece you should put the blame on those … pushing people in a desperate situation from a safe country, because I need to remind you that people who are in Turkey are not in danger,” Mitsotakis said.
“We have a tough but fair policy in migration.”
Mitsotakis has been under fire recently over the alleged pushbacks.
The recent economic crisis spread over the Greek economy like a shroud. A vice, which shook with fury the hopes of the Greeks, who abandoned the ship in the midst of the perfect storm, which led to an unprecedented in depth and breadth ten-year recessionary cycle.
Losses of 1/4 of gross domestic product and a double-digit unemployment rate were the root cause of the large wave of migration, which began to be recorded since 2010.
This wave intensified in 2012. The great “escape” took place, and it is estimated that more than 467,000 Greeks left their country, which offered little vestige of optimism.
With the pandemic following Greece as a persistent shadow and presenting new obstacles to economic growth and uncertainty, the foreign investment initiative, with the easy-to-understand name “The Greeks are back,” causes, if anything, a spontaneous satisfaction.
About 50 Greeks have coalesced to attract foreign investment to Greece. On October 21, the first conference was held in Athens with the participation of these senior executives working in more than 40 large companies, in 12 countries of the world.
The Greek Herald hastened to speak of this initiative with its mastermind, Andreas Υannopoulos, who gave flesh and bone to this important effort. He explains to us first what prompted him to take this initiative.
“Wherever you look, in any country in the world, you will find Greeks successful in various disciplines and activities. In particular, hundreds of Greeks excel in the business community, in senior positions of large multinational companies,” Mr. Yannopoulos says.
“Precisely this finding that, Greeks work and even in high-ranking positions in all major companies and in various lengths and widths of the globe, was the operative cause of the initiative the GREEKS ARE BACK, in September 2020.
“We will all agree, I think, that you do not find many countries with this priceless and unique intangible capital. When I was not living and working abroad, I personally had the opportunity, speaking with other Greeks in various companies, and found out that they had the deep desire, almost need I would say, to return value to their homeland.
“Therefore, we thought about looking for these Greeks around the world and inviting them to a high-level conference, during which they would discuss and propose how Greece can become ‘the investment place to be’.”
The date of the conference:
The first conference took place on October 21. The Minister of Development, Adonis Georgiadis and the Minister of Finance Christos Staikouras participated in its proceedings, as did Mr. Papathanasis, General Secretary of International Economic Relations and Extroversion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President of Enterprise Greece, Mr. Giannis Smyrlis, and the president of SEV, Mr. Dimitris Papalexopoulos.
“It was a most interesting Conference, and, all agree, that it “passed the test” with flying colours. Our goal was to approach the issue of the attractiveness of Greece as an investment destination, in a structured and effective way, since it was not an academic initiative. This was achieved both in plenary and working groups, in which critical areas of public policy were discussed, such as Green Investment, Tax Framework, Talent Attraction, Innovation/Research & Development, Digital Transition and Silver Economy.
“Each working group presented its proposals in the second part of the plenary session and these proposals will be reflected in a conscientious text under the title “Initiative for foreign investment in Greece”, which will be sent in the coming days to the government, the Greek Parliament, political parties, bodies, Media etc.”
The question of what pushes Greeks, who are in high-ranking positions abroad, to engage in an attempt to make Greece an attractive investment destination comes up spontaneously. Is it nostus?
“Why, I wonder, today, “the Greeks are coming back-the GREEKS ARE BACK”? Firstly, this is not a return, but something perhaps much more interesting and meaningful.
“These days, these fifty senior executives of large companies left their jobs and suffocating obligations, to come to Athens, to share their suggestions on how to make Greece an attractive / more attractive investment destination. And they did it in the most meaningful and professional way.
“Perhaps you would also notice the date of this inaugural conference of the GREEKS AREBACK: 21/10/21. We chose it deliberately, since it coincides with the celebration of 200 years of National Independence, wanting us, on our part, to mark this important anniversary accordingly.
“Because, in the end and, of course, keeping historical proportions, Greeks abroad were those who returned to Greece then to support the struggle for independence. Greece today gives another, different struggle, for development and prosperity, under extremely unfavorable conditions, but also with great potential and prospects. In this modern struggle, the Greeks abroad have much to offer and it would be a great waste and ableness not to use their knowledge and experience”.
Of course obstacles are present but, as Mr. Yannopoulos tells us, “the initiative discussed all the issues and several proposals were submitted by the conference participants. I think we all have to recognise that there have been significant reforms in recent years and the situation has improved considerably.
“Our intention is to make the GREEKS ARE BACK Initiative an annual “institution”. In a few days, we will announce details of the 2nd conference the GREEKS ARE BACK, which will take place in November 2022″.
Did an Australian executive participate in this interesting initiative?
“We didn’t have executives from Australia. We are pleased to consider the participation of Greek senior executives from Australia in the context of the relevance to the Working Groups. Those interested could look for us on social media,” concluded Mr. Yannopoulos.
The proposals of the initiative “Greeks are back” were reflected in a text entitled initiative for foreign investments in Greece, which was sent to the government, parties, the Greek Parliament, bodies and media, while it is available on the website www.greeksareback.gr.
In a huge act of filotimo and kindness, Greek Australian mums have rallied together to raise $20,754 (12,786.54 euro) for the DESMOS Foundation in Greece to put towards wildfire relief.
“Being away [from Greece], not being to go this year, being sort of stuck in Australia when you know there is so much happening that is beyond your control, we really just felt that as Greek mums in Australia, we had to do something,” Rea Liapis, founder of The Hellenic Heart Australia, tells The Greek Herald exclusively.
It started as a simple Facebook post in the ‘Greek Mums and Bubs Melbourne‘ group asking what could be done to help and quickly ‘snowballed in a good way’ into an online auction with around 160 products donated by small Greek businesses.
The women held a fundraising dinner previously to raise money for the Mati fires. Photo supplied.
“There were so many dinner vouchers from local Greek restaurants, we had a lot of Greek products, hampers, Greek frappe machines, things like that. So it was a massive range… and obviously we couldn’t have done it without all the businesses that donated,” Rea explains.
From there, the products were shipped off to their happy buyers and all the funds were collected and given to DESMOS in Greece.
Rea says she’s ‘pleased’ they donated the funds to DESMOS as the women ‘wanted the funds to go to the right place.’ Her foundation has also previously donated a container of clothes to ‘Χαμόγελο του Παιδιού’ in aid of the financial crisis in Greece in 2016.
“They do have a lot of people on the ground. They will be sending us information about where our donation goes… and we thought that was the best option,” Rea says.
“They’re very transparent in that they’ve told us 10 percent of the funds get kept for their own administrative expenses but beyond that, 90 percent goes to the people. So that’s where we were quite pleased.”
In a statement to The Greek Herald, DESMOS said they are currently focusing on emergency assistance, including equipment for three firefighting volunteer groups, heating appliances for families in northern Evia and equipment for six peripheral health clinics, among many other things.
“We feel privileged to have received the amazing support of people from all over the world. Thanks to the auction of Are you even Greek, Hellenic Heart AU and GMABS Melbourne, an amazing AUD 20,754 was raised!” DESMOS said.
“We are grateful for the trust and committed to creating the highest positive impact for the fire affected communities of Greece.”
It’s clear this initiative by these inspirational Greek Australian mums will go a long way towards Greece’s fire recovery efforts.
