Kate captured my heart the first minute of this video! She is to spice as Joanne Murphy is to Egyptology. Wonderful to know the world is such an amazing place. Give us more of Kate!
An absolute gem of a doco, this whole series is a pleasurable immersive experience, so thoughtfully presented, with humor and grace. Kate's enthusiasm is euphoric, I can almost taste and smell the spices. . . Ahhhhhhhhhh. . . What a rush. . . . .
love this woman´s attitude toward other cultures. Also it is impressive how blind we are about the difficulties that farmers go through in order to make a profit from their crops it makes me feel sad about the poor appreciation that we have from them
All through my life until I moved away from Houston, we would got across the border into Mexico and buy vanilla in the markets. A quart would be very very cheap. There is no better smelling or tasting vanilla to me. Mexican vanilla is amazing.
@Bravo Two Six Romeo they concealt that really good -.- I was amazed how she was walking almost alone there and the "kind" people. Its sad to think it is all show, because someday I would really like to visit those places without fear
I love the knowledge brought forth by journalist Kate Humble. I love the smell and the taste of vanilla. My favorite vanilla is from Mexico. I found important from "Spice in the World"...is the fact that vanilla was discovered in Mexico. The reason why vanilla is grown in other countries was due to an African slave named Edmond with knowledgeable knowledge in the fertilization of the vanilla orchid.
After I tried real vanilla in mexico, I havent bought any other kind. I get it at my local imported goods store, its so complex in flavour and sweet in smell, way better than any other vanilla. I put a little in my coffee every morning :9
There is nothing like real vanilla. . Scraped straight from the bean it grows in. Imag8ne flowered like orchids so precious and alm9st impossible to grow producing something so wonderful.
I used to work in fine restaurants. 1 oz. tins of Saffron were kept locked in the chefs office. My jaw dropped when they pulled that plastic tub out of the lock box.
When I visited Dubai I walked around the souks and there were vendors where you can buy literal sacks of saffron or anything down to a small amount. It was not cheap but it's still a fraction of what it costs in a supermarket. When you consider the buying power of major spice companies their markup on a jar with a few strands of saffron is simply obscene.
Well, it does have to travel across the world, be transferred through many hands, be packaged and sold in stores. All along the way, someone gets their cut, employees have to be paid.
@@mjrussell414 The stuff sold like McCormick doesn't transfer through many hands. They obviously buy it from regional distributors and then apply a massive markup. The glass jar probably costs more than the few saffron strands they stick in it. The fact that Dubai souks can substantially undercut them just shows how obscene their margins must be. Edit: I LOL'd when I saw a jar of McCormick Spanish saffron costs $18 in Walmart. I travel to Spain a lot and they use it for paella and any Eurospar (convenience store) would charge about €3 for the same amount. That's the amount of markup.
Agreed, you can't even find it in most stores where I live (in Utah, USA). I found it once and it had 5 strands in it for $25. I was shocked to say the least.
The vanilla girls that made you vanilla chocolate were having fun at your expense (in a nice way). You are a great international Lady. Takes a very special person to accept different cultures the way you do.
Honestly that really doesn't matter for the general population, it's literally the same flavour molecule so it does not make a difference in your dish in the end. Yes it's not good for the vanilla farmers, but thats how it is, progression causes certain jobs to be unneeded. It's normal
@@mobilekillerass synthetic vanilla is a far cry from the real deal, and makes a world of difference. The general populous wont understand/cant tell the difference, but anyone that works with food knows its the difference between an okay item and something people would line up down the block for.
I have a Persian friend and retired coworker who would make me and him spaghetti with saffron (I’d help him with his projects). He’d add yogurt on top and I’d add cottage cheese. Watching this helps you understand why it’s so expensive. It’s labor intensive. Vanilla is pollinated by hands and that’s why it’s so expensive. There a great doc on Madagascar vanilla trade (similar to this except street kids are becoming millionaires. Now I want to buy some saffron.
@@a.s.j.g6229Better late than never. As America is going into the abyss with all its technical advances and luxury’s, it’s refreshing to see people happy in their lives.
This doco is truly fabulous The combination of these exquisite spices and their accompanying cultures and traditions just blew me away. Thank you Kate Humble and Absolute History.You rock!
Terrific documentary! I had no idea Vanilla, my favourite flavour, originated in Mexico. Mexico continues to unravel it's wonderful surprises for me. I happen to have Mexican vanilla on the boat, and yes the taste is superior to other vanillas that I have tried!
This journalist Kate is the reason why the English conquered the world , she is so nice, polite and respectful to others cultures and she is welling to get her hands dirty but mostly welling to learn new things
I love saffron. I love herbs and spices, but saffron is so fresh and rich, it has a “clean” aroma. Beautiful. I keep it on hand. It’s wonderful in scrambled eggs with a quarter teaspoon of bullion. Just yellow up the eggs and makes them taste so rich.
I found the vanilla grown in Mexico is the best period. I use Mexican vanilla in baking and in the mixing of wax melts to scent my home. I also placed vanilla in certain drinks like chocolate, and cocoa, and added mixed cocktail drinks and ice cream.
When I was a child we lived in Germany and traveled all the time. In Spain, my brother and I each chose something look out for as a kind of travel game. I chose a billboard in the shape of a bull, while my brother chose Bib the Michelin Man billboards. At 25:40 in this video is an example of my bull billboards. What a delightful thing to see! Thanks, Absolute History team - you brought back some wonderful memories!
The castle caves would have maintained the perfect temperature and humidity to protect the saffron.spice. Spices generally need a cool dry place for freshness.
Social differences. If you try to open that box without permission he has the legal right to kill you, or cut off your hand and balls before dragging you to the town square so people can spit on you. Stealing is a pretty bad idea in places like that. Lol
13:38... Extended family going to work at dawn, and this child has an enormous, cheerful, genuine smile... Contrast this with so many children today in many Western places... Despite great material wealth and seemingly endless possibilities, they are dour, sad, depressed and unhappy. So much we have lost, and for what?
Not sure the Iranian saffron is the "imposter" since the spice most likely originates from Greece and Iran (and Morocco) - pretty much as the same time. The saffron arrived in La Plancha centuries later, so if there's an imposter, it's the Spaniards! As for quality, Spanish saffron is no better than Moroccan and Iranian saffron, and fake varieties can be found everywhere, including in Spain.
11:30 that castle bank is 😍😍😍. I came here because I planted my first saffron crocuses on our property recently. I was looking for more history content & here it is. Thanks!
Fantastic series. I was in Syria years ago afore the war. HMS Marlborough. Went to Krak de Chavalier and Allepo. We were told our guide and bus driver were - military. I knew about Saffron and its cost. In Allepo market - awesome place I found a spice seller. He offered me some. Tried haggling. Then the man's face fell, he looked frightened. Behind me was the guide in Syrian army uniform. He said something and suddenly a tin appeared from under the counter. Real Saffron. I purchased the lot - a big bag of it. I felt mortified and feel so guilty now as I know I got it at a very small price. The guide turned out to be a very senior officer in the army. My brother worked for an Asian company, and fell in love with the food ( I being Navy already loved it)and got recipes from the ladies. I gave the Saffron away to the ladies - guilt. Apparently they were gobsmacked as it perfect , very expensive Saffron Travel and talking to people so important
This is sacrilege to the Spanish; but I have found many Iranian and Indian crops to be of equal quality to the Spanish crop. Spain produces a tiny fraction of the worlds production and doesn't use it nearly as much as the Islamic world. If you buy saffron; try to use it within a few months. It's flavor is very liable to evaporate away. Old saffron is only good as a dye.
@arsacesofconcobar Most of Europe and the Americans have fallen to Spanish Propaganda.
4 роки тому
i'm from spain and don't find it sacrilegial in any way, in fact i don't think many people would find it sacrilegial, just the 4 bigots and the ones who had put money on fake marketing
I had noticed that vanilla was added to chocolate products & I always wondered why. Cocoa powder is very bitter by itself, the vanilla cuts that & adds sweetness & vanilla oil is an emulsifier so no need to add milk or sugar. I don't think I've ever tasted saffron, I'm curious now.
The last and only time I tried cooking with saffron, I didn't actually notice any particularly strong added flavors from it. It did make my food a very pleasant yellow. It's entirely possible I just did it wrong, but that's just my experience.
That child that was present during the transaction of saffron had a very perplexed look on his face almost as if he couldn't believe the enthusiastic behavior of this woman to look at a flower.
Travel tip: If you go to Mexico buy a bottle of high alcohol vanilla extract (its like $2usd for a litre. Drop a capfull in your water and shake. Let sit for 3 minutes before drinking. This prevents most bacterial digestive issues like "Montezuma's revenge" as long as you dont use local ice cubes.
Wrong. Vanilla has absolutely no antimicrobial properties, and the extract doesn't contain even close to the amount of alcohol needed to kill the bacteria in the water. Travel tip: only drink bottled water when traveling to any third world country. Bonus tip: never travel to Mexico; it's more dangerous than Iraq.
@@susangarland6869 Ho boy! the 25 million tourists that visit Mexico every year were really, really, really waiting for your valuable opinion to stop traveling traveling to Mexico. Thank you so much
Interesting series on where and how different spices originated and are grown. It would be interesting to see more of these videos. I think the series would improve if Kate would focus more on bringing out the people involved and a bit less of Kate making herself the center of attention, which seems like a production decision she does not fully embrace. It sounds like she would be an advocate for the "fair trade" system under which the producers receive a larger part of the final price of their products.
I like Kate Humble's way of presenting each and every topic it may be on spices, culture, or new and old historic places; I follow her all videos good job keep going. I know it is difficult to be away from the family and keep roaming with camera crews.
The problem with Mexican vanilla is - the real one is very good, but the one sold is often adulterated and fake. Especially the Mexican "vanilla" extracts you can buy are often chemically altered, and have very little if any real vanilla in them.
Buy UA-cam red and support free education that way. I haven't seen an ad on UA-cam in ages and I don't feel guilty about it because I give content creators income for their efforts.
Yes. Considering the first time they came with murder and theft on their minds.... The kindness of the non Western world in spite of those past wrong is extraordinary.
@@DavidSaintloth Wow, wow easy there. The westerners didn't always just go around bullying everyone. Often they where well liked where they came because they brought prosperity with them with trade and infrastructure. It was in there own interest to be well liked (or atleast respected) by the people.
I'd buy Mexican vanilla. Saffron I'd buy too . We need to get back to sustainable farming and going back to history and tradition that is eco friendly to earth.
Well, if you had asked me the origins of Saffron and Vanilla before I watched this I would have said Iran and Madagascar respectively, how wrong I would have been. Very educational, I love this series, and it's well presented by Kate.
Sumesh Alwani she did say Dirham. Understandably it does sound like she said Euro. Try listening again, but this time set the playback speed to x0.5 or even slower.
So after she started her saffron journey, I became fascinated and decided to look up places that sell it. I am not sure if I've seen it before. The name is familiar, but I cant recall a recipe that I've made that uses it. So as I'm watching this on tv, im looking for it on my phone, and then we get to the part where imitations and various cutting methods for imposters are the subject.... So I kept searching but changed my search criteria to "real saffron from Morocco".... But then we get to the dna part and now I am too paranoid to trust anyone. Also, how did I not know about vanilla? I grew up in texas, where Mexicans were the majority... Never learned about the vanilla thing in school. Cortez yes, the war yes, but always about the gold and even a mention of cocoa. But not vanilla? Texas history and the Alamo and such, texas being a part of Mexico for a time... we would learn about the Alamo, a failed venture I might add, for a month in school when texas history was on the curriculum, they could've taken a lesson or 2 away from that to teach about vanilla. Its curious really. I think I am going to ask my cousins if they know about it. I'm conflicted,
This is why academics of color demand curriculum that represents the history of America in an inclusive manner. US history is white folks version of history that conveniently leaves out the narratives of Native, Black, Mexican, Chinese, etc. histories.
In La Mancha, people talk about Iranian saffron as if it was of inferior quality, in reality the world's best saffron is grown in Iran. The best Iranian saffron is far superior to both the one from Morocco and the one from La Mancha!
After we got married, my ex-mother-in-law gave me a gallon-sized bag stuffed to almost bursting with saffron. Once I realized what it was, I was floored at the amazing gift! My ex told me that it was from her family’s village in Tunisia. I now have enough to last me several lifetimes 😊 After I tasted real Mexican vanilla, I haven’t bought anything else. Tahitian vanilla is also extraordinary, but is more floral, while Mexican vanilla has a delicious complex flavor that you can’t find anywhere else.
21:00 almost everyone pronounces paella the way the Spanish do: pie-ay-ah, British people usually insist on pronouncing it pay-ella, she seems to have split the difference.
As always, we Mexican men are so picarones with gorgeous ladies..... Nice documentary, and we never imagine the amount of hard hand labor goes into producing spices ......
its sort of epic, the legend of vanilla.. and now the precious fleeting orchid is only pollinated by a single buzzing bee, like the legend all over again.. the Bee's cannot resist the beauty of the vanilla
I wonder who discovered saffron...I mean who would have thought to harvest just the part of a flower? And I wonder how many similar spices like saffron are just waiting to be found.
I'm personally theorizing that it was hunter-gatherers that took a chance on eating the entire crocus and eventually realized that most of the flower didn't taste that good, but that one, tiny little part tasted heavenly, so they eventually just started ripping out those parts while gathering.
@@doomyboi agree! You eat the flower and then pin point where the flavor is coming from by eating the different parts. When I first ate Borage flowers I did this intuitively. I thought since it looked fuzzy I shouldn't risk popping the whole thing in my mouth. So I ate it bit by bit 😂
I've had Saffron precisely once and I don't think it was quality Saffron, if it was even Saffron. I need to get the real stuff. I'll have to plan a trip to Spain. Good thing I can speak Spanish, of a sort, thanks to my local Mexican amigos. Castilian Spanish isn't all that different.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Kate captured my heart the first minute of this video! She is to spice as Joanne Murphy is to Egyptology. Wonderful to know the world is such an amazing place. Give us more of Kate!
Love how personable this woman is, she touches and holds the hand of every person she interacts with.
kidrn4u I can’t imagine how much she has to adapt her outgoing personality in the time of Covid... Stay safe!
I bet she died from Covid 19
She truly is a lot more genuine than most of the others I've seen hosting shows like this.
her name is Humble
@Joel Roy motherly...
An absolute gem of a doco, this whole series is a pleasurable immersive experience, so thoughtfully presented, with humor and grace. Kate's enthusiasm is euphoric, I can almost taste and smell the spices. . . Ahhhhhhhhhh. . . What a rush. . . . .
Well said! Me too. Peace be with you....from Michigan, U.S.A.
love this woman´s attitude toward other cultures. Also it is impressive how blind we are about the difficulties that farmers go through in order to make a profit from their crops it makes me feel sad about the poor appreciation that we have from them
That's her job. There are people behind her in putting out this documentary.
Well said. Me too.
Yes the life of a farmers in a natural way or old fashion way...is so hard job and we have to thanks God for all the grace he give us all
I have the same attitude when I explore western culture and food.!
Touche
All through my life until I moved away from Houston, we would got across the border into Mexico and buy vanilla in the markets. A quart would be very very cheap. There is no better smelling or tasting vanilla to me. Mexican vanilla is amazing.
I'm Mexican American. Was raised on Mexican vanilla, real chorizo, home made tortillas lol! Drives me nuts when i can't find real vanilla
What a great memory. Peace be with you.....from Michigan.
Watching the folks she interacts with swell with pride at her admiration...is so lovely and wholesome. :)
Yes, they see her energy
I really love her enthusasim and her respect for the different cultures
She was a bit less patronizing and culturally insensitive in this episode but she's got others which are pretty cringe worthy.
@Bravo Two Six Romeo they concealt that really good -.- I was amazed how she was walking almost alone there and the "kind" people. Its sad to think it is all show, because someday I would really like to visit those places without fear
She is absolutely great. Her appreciation is infectious
I love the knowledge brought forth by journalist Kate Humble. I love the smell and the taste of vanilla. My favorite vanilla is from Mexico. I found important from "Spice in the World"...is the fact that vanilla was discovered in
Mexico.
The reason why vanilla is grown in other countries was due to an African slave named Edmond with knowledgeable knowledge in the fertilization of the vanilla orchid.
After I tried real vanilla in mexico, I havent bought any other kind. I get it at my local imported goods store, its so complex in flavour and sweet in smell, way better than any other vanilla. I put a little in my coffee every morning :9
How much does it cost? I'll bet it's expensive as hell.
@@thegoodlydragon7452 Its the same as any other real vanilla, more expensive than the artificial stuff but a worth it splurge.
There is nothing like real vanilla. . Scraped straight from the bean it grows in. Imag8ne flowered like orchids so precious and alm9st impossible to grow producing something so wonderful.
I used to work in fine restaurants. 1 oz. tins of Saffron were kept locked in the chefs office. My jaw dropped when they pulled that plastic tub out of the lock box.
"He who controls the spice, controls the universe"
Ehm...no not the universe.
Thomas Müller 🤦🏼♀️
Dune
Came for this. Was not disappoint.
aha i understood that referance
When I visited Dubai I walked around the souks and there were vendors where you can buy literal sacks of saffron or anything down to a small amount. It was not cheap but it's still a fraction of what it costs in a supermarket. When you consider the buying power of major spice companies their markup on a jar with a few strands of saffron is simply obscene.
me with a saffron plant in my house
Well, it does have to travel across the world, be transferred through many hands, be packaged and sold in stores. All along the way, someone gets their cut, employees have to be paid.
@@mjrussell414 The stuff sold like McCormick doesn't transfer through many hands. They obviously buy it from regional distributors and then apply a massive markup. The glass jar probably costs more than the few saffron strands they stick in it. The fact that Dubai souks can substantially undercut them just shows how obscene their margins must be. Edit: I LOL'd when I saw a jar of McCormick Spanish saffron costs $18 in Walmart. I travel to Spain a lot and they use it for paella and any Eurospar (convenience store) would charge about €3 for the same amount. That's the amount of markup.
Agreed, you can't even find it in most stores where I live (in Utah, USA). I found it once and it had 5 strands in it for $25. I was shocked to say the least.
Spices have been found to be contaminated w lead, cadmium, etc 😢
Watched this documentary at 1am. Have a deep insatiable need for a nice cup of hot chocolate
That’s what I’m doing right now... freaky..
Literally soing the same exact thing except 20 min earlier
The vanilla girls that made you vanilla chocolate were having fun at your expense (in a nice way). You are a great international Lady. Takes a very special person to accept different cultures the way you do.
Her excitement is what makes this a good watch.
I don't think so
Her vibe is lovely. Yea she doesn't come off condescending or even fake. She genuinely is excited.
Her appreciation for other cultures is wholesome
She is wearing her name very well: “Humble”.
I ting so.
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!
Natural vanilla is dying because of synthetic vanilla. In the usa, genuine vanilla in food is a gourmet item.
I only use real vanilla, my favorite spice. ❤️
Honestly that really doesn't matter for the general population, it's literally the same flavour molecule so it does not make a difference in your dish in the end. Yes it's not good for the vanilla farmers, but thats how it is, progression causes certain jobs to be unneeded. It's normal
@@mobilekillerass synthetic vanilla is a far cry from the real deal, and makes a world of difference. The general populous wont understand/cant tell the difference, but anyone that works with food knows its the difference between an okay item and something people would line up down the block for.
@@mobilekillerass vanillin is NOT the only flavor molecule in vanilla bean, although it IS the most prominent.
mobilekillerass once you start using natural vanilla , you will never use knockoffs again. The taste difference is fantastic.
I have a Persian friend and retired coworker who would make me and him spaghetti with saffron (I’d help him with his projects). He’d add yogurt on top and I’d add cottage cheese. Watching this helps you understand why it’s so expensive. It’s labor intensive. Vanilla is pollinated by hands and that’s why it’s so expensive. There a great doc on Madagascar vanilla trade (similar to this except street kids are becoming millionaires. Now I want to buy some saffron.
I adore this spice series 💕
I needed a smile. Kate humble is awesome
Every 13th of December we in Sweden eat buns flavored with saffron. I love the taste of saffron.
This is such a well put together documentary. Your team should be extremely proud!
Chris From SouthAus, these people just upload old BBC documentaries.
@@a.s.j.g6229Better late than never. As America is going into the abyss with all its technical advances and luxury’s, it’s refreshing to see people happy in their lives.
Agree!
This doco is truly fabulous The combination of these exquisite spices and their accompanying cultures and traditions just blew me away. Thank you Kate Humble and Absolute History.You rock!
What a delightful presenter! Her sincere enthusiasm is so lovely. And I keep thinking for a moment that I'm looking at Elizabeth Shue!
Terrific documentary! I had no idea Vanilla, my favourite flavour, originated in Mexico. Mexico continues to unravel it's wonderful surprises for me. I happen to have Mexican vanilla on the boat, and yes the taste is superior to other vanillas that I have tried!
This journalist Kate is the reason why the English conquered the world , she is so nice, polite and respectful to others cultures and she is welling to get her hands dirty but mostly welling to learn new things
I don't remember anything after Kate said she hates vanilla. I passed out from shock. Who hates vanilla?!
A few people/ :P
I would agree but I know people who just can't with the scent.😖
I like the taste but hate the scent.
I'm not exactly fond of it. I don't mind a little in my baking...but that's as far as it goes.
Janine McCarthy I use vanilla bean in cooking, but I hate the taste and smell of artificial.
I love saffron. I love herbs and spices, but saffron is so fresh and rich, it has a “clean” aroma. Beautiful. I keep it on hand. It’s wonderful in scrambled eggs with a quarter teaspoon of bullion. Just yellow up the eggs and makes them taste so rich.
I found the vanilla grown in Mexico is the best period. I use Mexican vanilla in baking and in the mixing of wax melts to scent my home. I also placed vanilla in certain drinks like chocolate, and cocoa, and added mixed cocktail drinks and ice cream.
Mexican coffee and chocolate are also excellent. They too are both native to Mexico.
When I was a child we lived in Germany and traveled all the time. In Spain, my brother and I each chose something look out for as a kind of travel game. I chose a billboard in the shape of a bull, while my brother chose Bib the Michelin Man billboards. At 25:40 in this video is an example of my bull billboards. What a delightful thing to see! Thanks, Absolute History team - you brought back some wonderful memories!
thats so sweet
I love these adventures from Kate! I enjoyed every episodes
The castle caves would have maintained the perfect temperature and humidity to protect the saffron.spice. Spices generally need a cool dry place for freshness.
We love you, Kate. Good show mate!
For the world's most expensive spice, the guy sure is chill just putting them in a box like that
Social differences.
If you try to open that box without permission he has the legal right to kill you, or cut off your hand and balls before dragging you to the town square so people can spit on you.
Stealing is a pretty bad idea in places like that. Lol
He knows the white lady won't steal from him.
@@elmikeomysterio5496 what the hell are u talking about😂😂 stop the bs 😴🧢
I once saw a program about some place in England where people used to grow saffron. The profits had paid for a very beautiful church.
13:38... Extended family going to work at dawn, and this child has an enormous, cheerful, genuine smile... Contrast this with so many children today in many Western places... Despite great material wealth and seemingly endless possibilities, they are dour, sad, depressed and unhappy. So much we have lost, and for what?
@Yuck Foutube Can't say I disagree with your view.
school ruined it
Not sure the Iranian saffron is the "imposter" since the spice most likely originates from Greece and Iran (and Morocco) - pretty much as the same time. The saffron arrived in La Plancha centuries later, so if there's an imposter, it's the Spaniards! As for quality, Spanish saffron is no better than Moroccan and Iranian saffron, and fake varieties can be found everywhere, including in Spain.
11:30 that castle bank is 😍😍😍. I came here because I planted my first saffron crocuses on our property recently. I was looking for more history content & here it is. Thanks!
I guess we should be purchasing Mexican vanilla. Thanks for the history on vanilla as well. ❤
I can't deal with how good this channel is!
How many ads do you need? I am all for supporting content makers with ads but this is ridiculous.
If only we could skip them....
Indeed ,I'm up for watching an ad every once in a while, but this is crazy. It's a shame I have to turn adblock on for a channel I like
Watch the last 5 seconds of the video then hit the replay button.
RJ thank you! Genius!
RJ I still got ads 😢
Fantastic series. I was in Syria years ago afore the war. HMS Marlborough. Went to Krak de Chavalier and Allepo. We were told our guide and bus driver were - military.
I knew about Saffron and its cost. In Allepo market - awesome place I found a spice seller. He offered me some. Tried haggling. Then the man's face fell, he looked frightened. Behind me was the guide in Syrian army uniform. He said something and suddenly a tin appeared from under the counter. Real Saffron.
I purchased the lot - a big bag of it. I felt mortified and feel so guilty now as I know I got it at a very small price.
The guide turned out to be a very senior officer in the army. My brother worked for an Asian company, and fell in love with the food ( I being Navy already loved it)and got recipes from the ladies.
I gave the Saffron away to the ladies - guilt. Apparently they were gobsmacked as it perfect , very expensive Saffron
Travel and talking to people so important
A beautiful woman creating wonderful documentaries. Thank you for sharing!
Do an episode on Wasabi!
This is sacrilege to the Spanish; but I have found many Iranian and Indian crops to be of equal quality to the Spanish crop. Spain produces a tiny fraction of the worlds production and doesn't use it nearly as much as the Islamic world. If you buy saffron; try to use it within a few months. It's flavor is very liable to evaporate away. Old saffron is only good as a dye.
I tried all . The best are the Moroccan and the Spanish
@arsacesofconcobar Most of Europe and the Americans have fallen to Spanish Propaganda.
i'm from spain and don't find it sacrilegial in any way, in fact i don't think many people would find it sacrilegial, just the 4 bigots and the ones who had put money on fake marketing
Kashmiri saffron is absolutely brilliant
Thank God for the people who document the spice and things here
Love ❤️ this channel.Thank You
so interesting watching the spice trail.... my gosh, I hadn't idea about any of this! How interesting and informative! well done!!! thank u!
I had noticed that vanilla was added to chocolate products & I always wondered why. Cocoa powder is very bitter by itself, the vanilla cuts that & adds sweetness & vanilla oil is an emulsifier so no need to add milk or sugar. I don't think I've ever tasted saffron, I'm curious now.
Tastes like dirt
@@catslove3884 maybe because that's what you tasted.
The last and only time I tried cooking with saffron, I didn't actually notice any particularly strong added flavors from it. It did make my food a very pleasant yellow. It's entirely possible I just did it wrong, but that's just my experience.
That child that was present during the transaction of saffron had a very perplexed look on his face almost as if he couldn't believe the enthusiastic behavior of this woman to look at a flower.
Probably more savvy than that. "What the heck is this lady going to use 5 grams of saffron for?"
Travel tip:
If you go to Mexico buy a bottle of high alcohol vanilla extract (its like $2usd for a litre.
Drop a capfull in your water and shake. Let sit for 3 minutes before drinking.
This prevents most bacterial digestive issues like "Montezuma's revenge" as long as you dont use local ice cubes.
ElMikeoMysterio What? What makes that work?
Wrong. Vanilla has absolutely no antimicrobial properties, and the extract doesn't contain even close to the amount of alcohol needed to kill the bacteria in the water. Travel tip: only drink bottled water when traveling to any third world country. Bonus tip: never travel to Mexico; it's more dangerous than Iraq.
@@susangarland6869 Ho boy! the 25 million tourists that visit Mexico every year were really, really, really waiting for your valuable opinion to stop traveling traveling to Mexico. Thank you so much
Interesting series on where and how different spices originated and are grown. It would be interesting to see more of these videos. I think the series would improve if Kate would focus more on bringing out the people involved and a bit less of Kate making herself the center of attention, which seems like a production decision she does not fully embrace. It sounds like she would be an advocate for the "fair trade" system under which the producers receive a larger part of the final price of their products.
Thank you for this informative documentary.
Kate is the best host. She was born for this 😍
I grew vanilla in Kerala with cardamom Black pepper,cloves and innamon,When your going to place video on Aleppy green Cardamom.
Kate Humble is a wonderful presenter and the series on these amazing spices is certainly informative
Love the respect for indigenous culture and traditions!
I do my best to buy Mexican vanilla. It's the same stuff my grandma used to make her food.
I like Kate Humble's way of presenting each and every topic it may be on spices, culture, or new and old historic places; I follow her all videos good job keep going. I know it is difficult to be away from the family and keep roaming with camera crews.
The problem with Mexican vanilla is - the real one is very good, but the one sold is often adulterated and fake. Especially the Mexican "vanilla" extracts you can buy are often chemically altered, and have very little if any real vanilla in them.
Love your Show ,Ma'am
The red shirt from the last episode is so much better in some many different dimensions.
Were Cortes's Kondomz Made of or Plated in Gold?
Can I have some more ADS with my next infusion of saffron and vanilla plus some more ADS please
uBlock Origins. Blocks ads, background scripts, metrics trackers, and unlike AdBlock, companies can't buy loopholes for their ads. Also, it's free.
Buy UA-cam red and support free education that way. I haven't seen an ad on UA-cam in ages and I don't feel guilty about it because I give content creators income for their efforts.
😂😂😂
Skip to the end and then press replay, that gets rid of the ads
@@davidclark9619 that won't work anymore!
I adore this spice series especially for saffron!
she's so humble , an female equivalent of anthony bourdain
How beautiful to see these cultures welcome western people in like their own family.
Yes. Considering the first time they came with murder and theft on their minds.... The kindness of the non Western world in spite of those past wrong is extraordinary.
@@DavidSaintloth Wow, wow easy there. The westerners didn't always just go around bullying everyone. Often they where well liked where they came because they brought prosperity with them with trade and infrastructure. It was in there own interest to be well liked (or atleast respected) by the people.
I'd buy Mexican vanilla. Saffron I'd buy too . We need to get back to sustainable farming and going back to history and tradition that is eco friendly to earth.
Well, if you had asked me the origins of Saffron and Vanilla before I watched this I would have said Iran and Madagascar respectively, how wrong I would have been.
Very educational, I love this series, and it's well presented by Kate.
So 200 euro is 20 gbp? Where can I get those exchange rates?
She said dirham, not euro
Sumesh Alwani she did say Dirham. Understandably it does sound like she said Euro. Try listening again, but this time set the playback speed to x0.5 or even slower.
I heard dirham.
She says dirham, the subtitles confirm this
So after she started her saffron journey, I became fascinated and decided to look up places that sell it. I am not sure if I've seen it before. The name is familiar, but I cant recall a recipe that I've made that uses it.
So as I'm watching this on tv, im looking for it on my phone, and then we get to the part where imitations and various cutting methods for imposters are the subject....
So I kept searching but changed my search criteria to "real saffron from Morocco"....
But then we get to the dna part and now I am too paranoid to trust anyone.
Also, how did I not know about vanilla? I grew up in texas, where Mexicans were the majority... Never learned about the vanilla thing in school. Cortez yes, the war yes, but always about the gold and even a mention of cocoa. But not vanilla? Texas history and the Alamo and such, texas being a part of Mexico for a time... we would learn about the Alamo, a failed venture I might add, for a month in school when texas history was on the curriculum, they could've taken a lesson or 2 away from that to teach about vanilla.
Its curious really. I think I am going to ask my cousins if they know about it.
I'm conflicted,
This is why academics of color demand curriculum that represents the history of America in an inclusive manner. US history is white folks version of history that conveniently leaves out the narratives of Native, Black, Mexican, Chinese, etc. histories.
the guy in the beginning with the blue Tuareg headdress and shades reminds me of Peter Sellers.
When that guy comes with his calculator, you know its like 10% of that
In La Mancha, people talk about Iranian saffron as if it was of inferior quality, in reality the world's best saffron is grown in Iran. The best Iranian saffron is far superior to both the one from Morocco and the one from La Mancha!
Madagascar should bring the bees over there. Otherwise without people the plant will go extinct in Madagascar.
I've met many farmers, it is very hard work.
Lol did she ever buy the saffron from those dudes?! XD
The lovely and lively Kate Humble. Her zest for life is infectious! I love it!
"What would it be like to live in this beautiful place" Look at the faces of the women and then you have your answer.
This is a very interesting documentary
After we got married, my ex-mother-in-law gave me a gallon-sized bag stuffed to almost bursting with saffron. Once I realized what it was, I was floored at the amazing gift! My ex told me that it was from her family’s village in Tunisia. I now have enough to last me several lifetimes 😊
After I tasted real Mexican vanilla, I haven’t bought anything else. Tahitian vanilla is also extraordinary, but is more floral, while Mexican vanilla has a delicious complex flavor that you can’t find anywhere else.
21:00 almost everyone pronounces paella the way the Spanish do: pie-ay-ah, British people usually insist on pronouncing it pay-ella, she seems to have split the difference.
As always, we Mexican men are so picarones with gorgeous ladies.....
Nice documentary, and we never imagine the amount of hard hand labor goes into producing spices ......
Marvelous...just a delight on every level. ....👏👏👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏👏 .!!!!!!
its sort of epic, the legend of vanilla.. and now the precious fleeting orchid is only pollinated by a single buzzing bee, like the legend all over again.. the Bee's cannot resist the beauty of the vanilla
In thatharsh barren landscape, God smiled and gave them a sign of his love.
love the knowledge
I always thought that vanilla had to be hand pollinated... well, now I know that's non-mexican vanilla thanks to our little bee friend. 🐝 🐝 🐝
I bet the honey from vanilla red would be amazing
I don't believe there is only one type of bee that would sit on a vanilla flower. Any insect would get attracted to it.
The level of commercials in this video makes it borderline Unwatchable!
I wonder who discovered saffron...I mean who would have thought to harvest just the part of a flower? And I wonder how many similar spices like saffron are just waiting to be found.
I'm personally theorizing that it was hunter-gatherers that took a chance on eating the entire crocus and eventually realized that most of the flower didn't taste that good, but that one, tiny little part tasted heavenly, so they eventually just started ripping out those parts while gathering.
@@doomyboi agree! You eat the flower and then pin point where the flavor is coming from by eating the different parts. When I first ate Borage flowers I did this intuitively. I thought since it looked fuzzy I shouldn't risk popping the whole thing in my mouth. So I ate it bit by bit 😂
"Not a tourist in site!" says the tourist.
She is an explorer, not a tourist.
I get the feeling people don't like you
15:31 Adzan
Mexican vanilla is amazing, nothing like anything I buy in the United States from regular stores.
What Mexico needs is Japanese style marketing.
I'm a fan here in the Philippines 🌴
The spice must flow
I've had Saffron precisely once and I don't think it was quality Saffron, if it was even Saffron. I need to get the real stuff. I'll have to plan a trip to Spain. Good thing I can speak Spanish, of a sort, thanks to my local Mexican amigos. Castilian Spanish isn't all that different.
thank you!
Sadly, I have a tumeric budget.