Harvesting Fresh Saffron & Traditional Persian Cooking | Autumn Rural Life in Northern Iran

Her day begins in the garden, where beautiful saffron flowers have just emerged from the earth. With patience and care, she gently picks the fresh saffron flowers one by one. Back at her cottage, she lights a traditional clay stove and begins preparing a delicious homemade Persian meal.

While chicken thighs slowly fry in oil, she carefully cleans the freshly harvested saffron flowers and separates the precious saffron threads. She then returns to the garden to pick fresh bell peppers, carrots, leeks, and green peppers.

Back in the kitchen, she chops the vegetables and prepares a comforting homemade chicken and vegetable stew. Fried onions, spices, tomato paste, chicken, bell peppers, and carrots are combined and slowly cooked over the traditional clay stove.

The freshly harvested saffron is then dried and gently ground in a small mortar. Mixed with water and added to the stew, the saffron brings a beautiful golden color and a wonderful aroma to the dish.

Finally, she prepares traditional Persian rice and gathers fresh herbs and vegetables from the garden before sitting down to enjoy her homemade meal with the stew she prepared earlier.