Afghan Saffron at Whole Foods

A couple of days ago, I was listening to NPR while making my breakfast. There was an interview with two American veterans in Afghanistan Keith Alaniz and Emily Miller talking about their efforts to import Saffron from Afghanistan and sell it in the United States. (Check out the their interview here). I wrote a note for myself to write something about it and today, as I was cleaning the closet, I saw the note.

This is actually for the first time an Afghan product is going to be available nationwide in the United States. Saffron is the most coveted and the most costly spice in the world  For the past decade an a half, this "red gold" spice has been given an incentive for Afghan farmers to grow as an alternative to opium poppies, which is a source of heroin.
It is exciting to hear that a high quality spice from Afghanistan is going to be found at American kitchens soon. This may provide a different image of Afghanistan and its people, other than war and violence, something that people have been used to hear.

One of the intriguing things about this product is the name of the company that carries the spice. It is called "Rumi Spice." Rumi is becoming a household name in the West and especially in the United States. Whoever came up with this name is praiseworthy.

In terms of quality, the Afghanistan's Saffron is considered the best in the world, according to the International Taste and Quality Institute in Brussels and it has been rated the best for three consecutive years. I hope the veterans' efforts bear fruit. It will definitely impact the lives of the Afghan farmers, specially the women who are mainly employed for harvesting the spice.