One of the founders of Stonyfield yogurt went on to found the American Halal Company. The company has nationally launched Saffon Road, its flagship brand.

The stylish and tasty brand is the first halal-certified product line to be sold nationally in all Whole Foods stores (it’s also in 6,000 other retail stores across the U.S.).

Now people hankering for anything from Lamb Saag to Pad Thai can have it after only four minutes in the microwave.

The foods are all-natural, antibiotic-free, locally sourced and Certified Humane. They are not heavily spiced, so have a broad appeal.

Most products are Certified Gluten-Free; select products are vegan/vegetarian and Non-GMO.

Two of the frozen entrees, ready in four minutes. Photo courtesy Saffron Road.

A BOUNTIFUL BUFFET

Everything is ready in minutes, with the exception of the crunchy chickpea snacks, which are ready as soon as you tear off the top of the bag:

Saffron comprises the dried stigmas, called threads, of the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus. The reddish-colored stigmas are used in global cuisines from Spain to India, as a seasoning and coloring agent. The stigmas contain the carotenoid dye crocin, which imparts a rich golden-yellow hue to dishes (and in earlier times, textiles).

Saffron is the world’s most costly spice by weight; each flower produces only three stigmas, so many are needed to produce just one gram of the spice. Fortunately, you need very little to flavor a dish.

Saffron is native to Greece, and was first cultivated on the Greek island of Crete, as early as the Bronze Age (500 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E.). It was slowly propagated throughout much of Eurasia, North Africa, North America and Oceania. The first written record dates to a 7th-century B.C.E. Assyrian botanical treatise.

Today Iran grows 90% of the world’s saffron, although Afghanistan, Greece Italy, Iran, Kashmir (India), Morocco and Spain are also producers. Saffron from different regions has different potencies; for example, Kashmiri saffron is very strong and you may need to use less than what is called for in your recipe.

The spice is used in dishes such as arroz con pollo and paella (Spain); bouillabaisse (France) an other Mediterranean seafood soups; chelow kabab (Iran), chicken biryanil, kashmiri lamb and saffron rice (India); lamb tagine (Morocco) and saffron bread (Sweden).

As with many herbs and spices, it’s hard to describe the flavor (what do garlic and paprika taste like?). However, it is glorious with a heady perfume, imparting a tastes of honey, hay and earthiness.

Too much saffron is not a good thing: It can make a dish bitter.