Articles
ETYMOLOGY, HISTORY AND APPLICATION OF SAFFRON (CROCUS SATIVUS L.) IN ANCIENT IRAN
Article number
850_53
Pages
309 – 314
Language
English
Abstract
According to cultural and geographical evidence, the Old Persian and Pahlavi name of this plant is Karkam which has been derived from dialects of Iran.
In the Median era, probably its pronunciation had similarity to the word Karkam or Kurkum. Later on the word has been transformed and used according to phonetic rules of other tribes.
For example in Aramaic: Karkema, in Hebrew: Karkom, in Arabic Kurkum, in Sanskrit, Kunkuma and in Greek Crocus that Homer registered as Krokus. The most ancient documents of its edible uses are registered by Polyen, the Greek military author, in his dissertation entitled Stratagemes within a list of foods consumed by the Achaemenian court.
According to Pliny/Plinius writings the kings and magi used a kind of fragrant cream of saffron.
In the Seleucid era foods consumed by the Iranians were also the same as the foods used by the Achaemenian people.
In the Parian and Sassanian eras saffron was amongst the food colourings which they made use of to give a good scent to the food.
As deduced from the pahlavi text Khosrow Kawātān va rēdak, Sassanians had a variety of foods and pastries and made use of saffron in preparing foods, pastries and desserts which had also been used till the Islamic era.
During the reign of Khosroparviz it had also been used in medicine and dyeing in addition to cooking.
In the Median era, probably its pronunciation had similarity to the word Karkam or Kurkum. Later on the word has been transformed and used according to phonetic rules of other tribes.
For example in Aramaic: Karkema, in Hebrew: Karkom, in Arabic Kurkum, in Sanskrit, Kunkuma and in Greek Crocus that Homer registered as Krokus. The most ancient documents of its edible uses are registered by Polyen, the Greek military author, in his dissertation entitled Stratagemes within a list of foods consumed by the Achaemenian court.
According to Pliny/Plinius writings the kings and magi used a kind of fragrant cream of saffron.
In the Seleucid era foods consumed by the Iranians were also the same as the foods used by the Achaemenian people.
In the Parian and Sassanian eras saffron was amongst the food colourings which they made use of to give a good scent to the food.
As deduced from the pahlavi text Khosrow Kawātān va rēdak, Sassanians had a variety of foods and pastries and made use of saffron in preparing foods, pastries and desserts which had also been used till the Islamic era.
During the reign of Khosroparviz it had also been used in medicine and dyeing in addition to cooking.
Publication
Authors
G. Sharifi
Keywords
achaemenian, ancient languages, kurkum, Sassanian
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