85 years of history in a saffron sachet – Italian Cuisine

182517


It was way back in 1935 when Saffron 3 Chefs he created the first sachet of saffron powder as we know it today, or almost. And so are 85 the candles that blows out the June 12th the product of the company founded by Gianni Mangini in 1933.

If today a normal gesture appears open the saffron sachet to cook, for example, the classic saffron risotto, 80 years ago it was far from a foregone conclusion.
Back then saffron was a wanted grocery product: it was sold in bulk, complete with a pharmaceutical balance, since it has always been a rather exclusive item (Currently, 150,000 flowers and 500 hours of work are needed to obtain 1 kg of dried saffron).

Here the story begins …

At the beginning of the twentieth century there were several companies that worked saffron, used for centuries as a dye, in cosmetics and medicine, even before in the kitchen.

182517But Mangini's great intuition was to focus on food use, packaging a high quality saffron in sachets already dosed and ready for use. Luxury product, yes, of course, but also practical. From the beginning.

The very first bags they were sober, bearing only the name of the entrepreneur and that of the grocer who sold it to retail. The innovation of 1935 it was precisely to characterize them with the illustrated brand that we know today: thanks to the contribution of an English painter, the image is studied with the characteristic 3 chefs, evidently from three different corners of the world, to offer three dishes with a cloche that they suggest extraordinary delicacies.

Knowing the history of Italian companies of the past always has a certain charm. Rummaging through the papers of the 1900s, in fact, it emerges that to regulate the matter was a Royal decree of 1936, which identified only the apical part of the stylus as saffron, the one with the stigmas of the Crocus Sativus Linnaeus. The importances label it already emerged back then: in fact the wording "pure guaranteed" was reported in the packaging to underline the high quality.

Before and after the Great War

Quality was the guiding thread even in the dark years of the Great War.

182518The most extensive crops saffron in Italy at the time were in Central Italy, particularly in the province of L'Aquila. When northern Italy was separated from southern Italy and contacts with L'Aquila were interrupted due to the war, Mangini decided to temporarily suspend the activity, so as not to find himself offering an inadequate product compared to the usual standards.

182519And after the war, the rebirth and the blossoming of the creativity:
from the wooden container for the saffron sachets in the shape of a 1948 pickup truck, a toy loved by children, to metal boxes displayed in drugstores of the 1957, from wooden boxes as a small furnishing accessory to store small items from 1958, to the first innovative advertising posters from the 60s and 70s. All items today cult and collectible.

Over time, the certainty and safety of innovation and research, which have allowed over time to create blends of high and constant quality over time, with all the care, work and attention that are due to the flowers.
With 20 saffron flowers and 60 pistils you get a bag of Saffron 3 Chefs of 0.15 g and, add the real gourmands, also an excellent risotto, lasagna, aromatic bread and unusual sweet creams.

Barbara Roncarolo
May 2020

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