\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
In the 7th century, it was the Arabs who introduced saffron to Europe via Spain, where it is still widely cultivated today, although some believe it was brought to Spain by the Phoenicians, who at that time enjoyed a kind of monopoly in the trade. The Spanish name Azafr\u00e0n<\/em> derives from the Arabic name Al Zafaran<\/em>, still in use in the Iberian Peninsula and the Hispanic-American Republics, while in the rest of the world the Persian name Zaafran<\/em> is still used, more or less modified.<\/p>Despite the interest of agronomists, the year of the introduction of saffron culture in Italy has never been precise. In fact, Pliny the Second in his De Croci cultu asks:<\/p>
\u00a0“QUIS, TAMEN, ATTULERIT PEREGRINAE
SEMINA MESSIS PRIMUS, ET ILLIUS QUO
TEMPORE COEPERIT USUS, QUIS NOVIT?”<\/p>
“Who, therefore, first brought
the seeds of the foreign harvest to us,
and when the use of them became widespread, is unknown.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t