Saffron growers see appetizing future for Japan's 'red gold'

Rising interest in distinctive Japanese production methods is fueling greater demand

Prices of saffron produced in Taketa, Japan, have risen from about 100 yen (88 cents) per gram in the mid-1990s to about 1,000 yen per gram now. (From the Taketa no Tabekata Facebook page)

MICHIYO NAKAMOTO, Contributing writer

January 5, 2022 08:00 JST

TOKYO -- When chef Martin Pitarque Palomar received a delivery of large and succulent abalone in their shells he knew they would pair well with the flavorful carrots that were coming into season.

Drawing inspiration from the cuisine of southern France, where he grew up, Pitarque Palomar, head chef at Esterre, a French restaurant in Tokyo's Palace Hotel, seasoned his grilled abalone and carrot dish with saffron. "It was perfect," he says, noting how the earthy aroma of the saffron balanced the sweet carrots and the charcoal-grilled abalone.