Gool Peran is Cornish for St Piran’s Day, which takes place on March 05, and is the national day of Cornwall.

I hope you have some special St. Piran’s Day plans for this important occasion!  As a kid growing up, there was always saffron cake on the table for tea.  At Christmas time my Gran would make enough loaves to fill a regular size suitcase… and they were eaten before the end of twelfth night!  Whenever I eat saffron cake those memories flood back and, as an adult, our house too is filled with the delicious aroma of the baking loaves and saffron buns on every special (or not so special) occasion.

The Cornish have used saffron in their cooking ever since the time it was traded for tin with the Phoenicians, over 2,000 years ago.  Although the Pasty has become internationally known as the traditional food of Cornwall, the Saffron Cake follows at a very close second.  

I always use unsalted butter in my recipe as it gives a nice rich taste and it makes the cake a good keeper; however, for many years I was vegan and used Earth Balance and non-dairy milk,  which blands down that rich taste I remember as a child, but the saffron always shone through and the cake still tasted ‘andsome!

Saffron is known as the most expensive spice in the world, costlier than gold.  The reason for such a luxurious moniker lies in the harvesting of the flowers (Crocus Sativus) and stigmas.  With each flower being handpicked, the stigmas are carefully removed and dried, and with there being only three stigmas to each plant, it takes around 200 flowers to produce a gram of saffron.

Here is my Family Recipe 

• 2lbs Plain or All Purpose Flour  
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 10 oz. Unsalted Butter
• 4 oz. Lard, White Flora or Crisco
• 2 Sachets Yeast
• 2 oz. Mixed Peel
• 6 oz. Caster or Granulated Sugar
• 1 lb Currants
• * 1 Dram Saffron
  (*= 1 Teaspoon)
• 1 Pint of Milk (warmed to blood heat)

Note:  This recipe is so old the measurement of saffron is in drams:
“The word dram is a contracted form of the word drachma from late Latin and Old French. In middle English the word was dragme. It was originally used to describe a minute quantity of something.  Druggists and apothecaries used the word dram as a unit of measurement meaning 1/8 of an ounce, or sixty grains” Excerpt from https://bit.ly/2DIxoFe

One story my Grandfather used to tell me that I always found fascinating as a child and do so even now,  was that when he went to the Chemists’ shop to buy saffron for his mother to make her saffron cakes, he had to sign the poison’s register.   Living in a moorland mining parish where raw arsenic lay all around the mine workings, saffron would seem the least dubious poison to worry about!

Method

• Place the saffron in a small dish with a little boiling water to steep and set aside.

• Mix 2 teaspoons of sugar with the warm milk and stir in the yeast.  Set aside in a warm place (yeast will froth).  Meanwhile, rub the butter and lard into the flour until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.   Add the fruit, sugar and salt.

• Mix the yeast mixture and saffron into the flour and fat with a round bladed knife. Knead well with your hand (until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl clean).  Cover with a clean tea towel and proof for 1 hour.

• Knead again and place in two (2) greased loaf tins.  Return the tins to a warm place to rise again for 20 minutes while you pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

• Place the tins filled with the dough in the oven and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours.  If the tops of the loaves are browning too quickly turn the oven down to 300°F.

• To test if done, stick a sharp knife or skewer into the centre of the cake after 1 hour, if the knife comes out clean the cake is ready to cool.

Apart from indulging in Saffron Cake, here are a few other suggestions to make St. Piran’s Day on March 5^th really memorable.

1. If you are fortunate enough to live in Cornwall you might enjoy attending a St Piran’s Day parade.  Check the local press and community schedules for upcoming events.
2. Fly a St. Piran’s Day Flag (available to purchase almost everywhere in Cornwall and online if you want to celebrate from far away).
3. Wear the Cornish Tartan (Black, White and Gold) or a Cornish Rugby Shirt (Black and Gold) or Celtic Jewellery, especially a Celtic Cross.
4. Sing ‘The Song of the Western Men’, also known as ‘Trelawney’.  Here are the words and music courtesy of :   https://bit.ly/2XaWsO3

With two weeks to go there is still time to plan a day to celebrate and remember our homeland.  Kernow bys Vyken!