The Bonfires Of Samhain

Samhain bonfires were once lit on every hilltop in Britain and Ireland as soon as the sun set on October 30. 

The word "balefire" comes from the word "boon", which means "extra".  

To the ancient Celts, fire was a physical symbol of holiness, divinity, truth and beauty and the Samhain fires served a number of purposes: to honor the Gods and Goddesses, to light the dark night and usher in the light of the New Year, to purify the ritual space or home, and to ward off evil. 

The fire was also used to guide the souls of the dead home to their ancestors. 

On this night all the hearth fires were extinguished and relit from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept buning at the center of Ireland. (The only other time it was permitted to extinguish the hearth fire was Beltane, the Sabbat marking the second half of the Celtic year. To do so otherwise was considered very bad luck). 

The old ashes were strewn in the gardens to bless them and insure a fruitful harvest the following year.

In many parts of the British Isles balefires are still lit on Samhain to honor the old ways.

Samhain and Halloween

It’s October

 

Saffron -The Worlds Most Expensive Spice

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. 

Derived from the dried stigmas of the purple saffron crocus, it takes anything from 70,000 to 250,000 flowers to make one pound of saffron, that's around $1400.00 and up.

The flowers have to be individually hand-picked in the autumn when fully open. 

Fortunately, only a little needs to be added to a dish to give it color and flavor.

Records about the use of saffron go back to ancient Egypt and Rome where it was used as a dye, in perfumes, and as a drug, as well as for culinary purposes. 

It reached China in the 7th century and spread through Europe in the Middle Ages. 

If you are looking for Saffron be careful while shopping because there are merchants selling fake saffron.

It's as bad as selling dyed paper scraps as saffron.

So, always check the quality before buying. 

The best way is to take little thread of saffron and put it into water. 

The real, good quality one will not dissolve, after all it's a flower stamen.

Saffron threads when placed in cold water for a few minutes will color the water and come out still looking like the 

original saffron thread. 

If the color washes out and the thread when taken out has faded or completely lost its color, then it's fake.

Also, saffron has an aroma and flavor that cannot be duplicated if it's fake.

The only thing that fake saffron makers can do is to make it look like saffron, so they can fool customers into buying it. 

Cooking with Saffron is delightful, we use it a lot in our dishes especially when we make curry.

In India saffron is an important ingredient in many recipes of rice, sweets, and ice-creams.


In Saudi Arabia, a real Arabic coffee should have saffron and cardamom.

In the North of Italy, saffron is essential in the preparation of its famous Risotto.


 In Sweden it is a traditional to bake saffron bread on the day of St. Lucile.


In Spain saffron is an indispensable ingredient in such famous dishes as Paella.