World spoon Magazine by Zahra Anastasia Barzin

VOLUME ONE

WORLD SPOON THE IRAN ISSUE Explore Iranian Cuisine

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Bazaar in Tehran, Iran

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Editor's Note

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF just up the road. about five measly minutes, found the As always World Spoon thrives on being a food culture Dasha Zhukova unprepossessing little cafe tucked among the apartment magazine that has unique and unusual context for all our EDITORSbuildings of the Brooklyn neighborhood. The cafe had readers to explore. Iran is such a hot-button issue these an outdoor patio with heaters and a cozy room inside Peter Meehan days that it can be hard to look at the country outside simply decorated with red table clothes and the pictures David Chang of the geopolitical context. But no one on earth who is of Persopolis. Among Darius’s ruins, a new display of interested in food can afford to ignore what is one of the MANAGING EDITOR framed newspa per clippings sang the praises of the little world's most important and influential cuisines. Iranian Walter Green restaurant. Within the background, Iranian music by the cooking is heir to no less than two and a half thousand famous Persian musician, Hayde, played from a laptop years I am excited to say that Issue 23 is about the food ART DIRECTOR manned by our waiter. We were soon met by Fetihan, Eli Horowitz culture in Iran. a sharp, down-to-earth woman who had lived for thirty My inspiration to do an issue on Iranian cuisine ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR years with her Iranian husband in the Gilan province of did first begin when I stumbled home from a day of Amanda Bynes Iran (thus the restaurant’s name). “It was like the Iranian managing wild middle schoolers and started to open the Black Sea,” she did tell us. “With the blue water of the kitchen fridge for a medicating Efes Dark only to find CONTRIBUTING a EDITOR Caspian Sea in front of you and the mountains at your magnet near the handle that read, “Gilan Cafe, Iranian Anthony Bourdain back. Ahhh, a gorgeous place.” We ordered a starter of Cuisine. Kadıköy.” I did a double take. Yes, yes, it said “Ashe Doogh”—billed as “Ayran Soup” in Turkish. It CHIEF FOOD CRITIC Iranian. Iranian! How long have I searched for a decent Walter Green was a hearty, creamy yogurt based soup with tiny meat Iranian restaurant in New York City? The address was ASSISTANT FOOD CRITIC

Jonathon Smith MAIN PHOTOGRAPHER

Gabriele Stabile ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHER

Rocco Andreozzi DISTRIBUTION AND BUSINESS

Adam Krefman Laura Howard WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK

Alison Krista, Willow Ruth Sam Andreozzi Brendon Gouevia Anna Cynthia Klein Zoya Lee Grey Alexandra Barzin Willow Smith ADDITIONAL THANKS

Visit Sweden and Dark Rye (darkrye.com) PRESS INQUIRIES

Ali Sinclair, ali@sweeneys.net Lucy Lou lou@fyi.net CUSTOMER SERVICE

helpme@wsm.ph

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COVER PHOTO BY SARA CWYNAR EDITOR'S PHOTO BY BETH HOECKEL

WORLD SPOON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Dasha Zhukova EDITORS

Peter Meehan David Chang in America.” The rice was wonderful—a pillow of white with a sprinkling of bright yellow grains flavored with saffron. And unlike Turkish rice, our hostess tells us, Persian rice is cooked without oil because you are supposed to pour the sauces of your main dish on top. For drinks, we had Iranian ayran. In this issue of World Spoon, we were fortunate enough to have our magazine journalist Anissa Helou actually travel to Iran to explore and investigate the beautiful food culture of this country. Check out "The Land of Spice," (page 6). And many more exciting articles about Iran cuisine, of course! Regardless of where your political opinion stands with Iran, all the following articles will enrich your knowledge about Iranian cuisine!

MANAGING EDITOR

Walter Green ART DIRECTOR

Eli Horowitz CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Anthony Bourdain CHIEF FOOD CRITIC

Walter Green ASSISTANT FOOD CRITIC

Jonathon Smith MAIN PHOTOGRAPHER

Gabriele Stabile DISTRIBUTION AND BUSINESS

Adam Krefman Gregory South CONTRIBUTORS

Ali Krista, Wihelmina Ruth, Anneliese June, Francesca Leonie, Francesca Pearl, Matilda Primrose, SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES

subscription@worldspoonmag.com EDITORIAL INQUIRIES

DASHA ZHUKOVA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

editorial@worldspoonmag.com GENERAL INQUIRIES

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99 Saint John Street Boston, MA 02120 To subscribe to World Spoon magazine just visit our following website at WORLDSPOONMAG.COM

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CONTENTS

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7 THE LAND OF SPICE

16 IRANIAN PRODUCE

In this issue of World Spoon, our international food critic Anissa Helou explores the underrated taste of Iranian cuisine. Join Anissa on the recording of her journey to Iran and its food culture !

Chef Hoss Zare is a refugee from Iran who is also a notorious chef in San Francisco, CA. Learn about who Chef Zare is as a man and a chef. Try the delicious personal recipes' of his childhood in Iran.

Te inclegeria nondestem huidem hucem es vitelum mo unclerrae tra tus Catifectum fatquamena vivem dicatil vehenih ilicoer obunum Rompl. Nam ocurs sendi, C. C. Halegerum ponsus nihilia

Historically speaking, food bazaar's play a major role in Iran. Withn this issue we are going to explore all the delicious foods and the ingredients that one will find in an Iranian very historical and exotic bazaar.

EMPIRE RECIPES

The ancient Persian Empire spanned through many decades of different rulers, expansion and cultural influence from various Asian regions. Learn the recipes of the Ancient Persian Empire.

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IRAN DESSERTS

Desserts in Iran divide into two categories: moist, which includes French-inspired pastries, tarts, and cakes; and dry, which features cookies inside. Learn these exotic desserts right in your kitchen.

CHEF ZARE

CURRY, CURRY

The spice of curry plays a major role in Iranian cuisine. We at World Spoon are going to show you how to make the five most classic and mouthwatering curry dishes of Iran today!

PERSIAN NEW YEAR

THROW A PARTY

We are going to help you design your very own Iranian dinner party. Discover some of the worlds best international food and accessory websites so you can through a real Persian party at your home!

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40 SAFFRON

The winter solstice, known as Shab-e Yalda in Iran, is the longest night of the year and falls on Saturday, December 21, this year. In this article we explore the Iranian food traditions on this day.

The spice of Saffron is an extremly important part of the Iranian food history and food culture of today. In this article, we do explore the background that goes back to the empire of Alexander the Great.

This article explores November 29 2014. A team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists has found the bones of sheep heads and hooves in two bowls buried in two graves about 4,000 years ago in Iran.

Sangak is a type of Iranian bread, a flat bread baked in a unique way. The name means "little stones" and the full name of the bread, "nan-e sangak." The article explores how important Sangak is in Iran.

Shab-e Yalda

IRAN'S FARMING

The rural economy, for millennia the economic and social basis for all Persian governments, is characterized by a series of ecological and the economic restraints that have hampered its development.

LAYLAS KITCHEN

Layla Barzin is an Irania mother living in Los Angeles, CA. She has created her own cooking classes of traditional Iranian food every week. We explore how Layla got this great idea for cooking classes!

TOMB RECIPES

SACRED LAMB

Our own Iranian journalist Nima Heshmati, reminicses all about the importance of lamb within his diet while growing up in Iran. Nima even includes some must try, lamb recipes of his grandmother!

Sangak

TEHRAN DINING

Iran has many delicious restaurants. Among them is one called Bystrol. It has opened within Iran's Tehran area, offering a very modern Persian culinary experience and specialising in typical Persian dishes.

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The Land of Spice By Anissa Helou

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I first became infatuated by Iranian food back in 1982. I was having lunch with a charming actress in London. But it was the food that wowed me. Top A very traditional Persian rice with chicken khabab.

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I never did taste anything like it. There was a platter of fluffy white rice speckled with colorful grains and topped with golden pieces of a crisp, wafer-like rice crust, called tah dig. There were bowls of torshi, an Iranian pickle made with everything from cabbage to cucumbers, designed to stab through these incredible richness of the very meaty stews upon the table; rice, lamb-stuffed grapevine leaves that were served with a sweet and sour tomato sauce, Unlike the plain ones I knew as a child growing up in Lebanon. Years later, when I began researching culinary history and writing about food, I often thought back to that meal. Iranian cooking is legendary in the realms of Middle Eastern food. Dishes of various Middle Eastern countries can trace their origins back to ancient Persian food. For example, take Morocco's fragrant tagines, the relatives of Iran's khoresht stews, or the sweet-tart savory dishes whose distinctive flavor is achieved by cooking meat with fresh or dried fruit, which first originated within Persia during ancient times. Ancient Persians brought their cuisine to the Indian subcontinent in the Middle Ages, and to this day the Persian and Hindi names for many dishes are nearly all identical. Persia was what the country was firstly long known as in the west; in 1935, and the Shah asked the international community to then use the country's

native name, Iran. The Persian Empire, which spanned with some of the various interruptions from 550 BC to AD 651, was the greatest of the early civilizations; there were well-built roads in the empire.Herodotus, the Greek historian, wrote that he was seduced the by Persian food, and King Croesus of Lydia, an ancient land that is now part of Turkey, first advised Cyrus the Great to lure troublesome tribes with "the good things on which the Persians live.

empires and food Between the middle of the eighth century to the mid 13th century, the Abbasid Caliphate, an Arab-Muslim dynasty that encompassed swaths of the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Spain and Portugal, hired Persian chefs to cook for the heads of state. The Arabs adopted and adapted Persian cuisine when King Cyrus the Great, the leader of a tribe called the Persians, first created an empire that eventually stretched from India to Egypt and parts of Greece. The Persian empire eventually fell upon Alexander the Great and later to the Arabs. They converted the Persians to Islam. But each successive wave of rulers proved so fond of the Persians' flavorful cooking. The Arabs even brought Persia's distinctive sweet-and-sour flavors to North Africa; also during the Middle Ages,

Top Left A very traditional Persian tea, that is called chai. Top Right An Iranian family thats eating on a Persian rug. Bottom Right A classic Persian pomegranate.

exotic Persian techniques such as gilding (to painting foods with elaborate gold or silver leaf) traveled all the way to Europe via the Crusades, becoming all the rage at regal banquets. From the 11th to the 15th centuries A.D., Persian culture flourished despite the Turkish and Mongol rule. This era saw a flowering of native poetry and art, and its rarified cooking, with the rich sauces and pilafs strewn with nuts and dried fruit, became the foundation of the Moghuls' cuisine of northern India. Contemporary cooking does wears its heritage on its sleeve. Rice holds a place of honor, prepared with a prized, golden crust thats formed from the clarified butter, saffron, and yogurt. The lamb and chicken are marinated and grilled as kebabs, or mixed all into stews called khoreshes with fresh fruit and sour ingredients such as lime juice. Cinnamon, cardamom, and other spices are used in a great abundance, along with a multitude of fresh herbs. Pickles and flatbreads are all served at every single meal. Desserts feature rose water and pistachios. Refreshing drinks called sharbats are made from diluted fruit and herb syrups. Though largely unknown in the United States of America and some other western countries, Persian food is perfect for American palates primed by its Middle Eastern and Indian cousins. It is a taste that will leave you wanting more. All the spices and taste of this exotic cuisine are like no other

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I was struck by how food culture in Tehran is one of paradoxes. Gray and drab on the outside and fun and even glamorous away from the authorities' extremly controlling dictatorship.

Bottom A very traditional Persian woman at a spice bazaar.

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the rage at regal banquets. From the 11th to the 15th centuries A.D., Persian culture flourished despite the Turkish and Mongol rule. This era saw a flowering of native poetry and art, and its rarified cooking, with the rich sauces and pilafs strewn with nuts and dried fruit, became the foundation of the Moghuls' cuisine of northern India. Contemporary cooking does wears its heritage on its sleeve. Rice holds a place of honor, prepared with a prized, golden crust thats formed from the clarified butter, saffron, and yogurt. The lamb and chicken are marinated and grilled as kebabs, or mixed all into stews called khoreshes with fresh fruit and sour ingredients such as lime juice. Cinnamon, cardamom, and other spices are used in a great abundance, along with a multitude of fresh herbs. Pickles and flatbreads are all served at every single meal. Desserts feature rose water and pistachios. Refreshing drinks called sharbats are made from diluted fruit and herb syrups. Though largely unknown in the United States of America and some other western countries, Persian food is perfect for American palates primed by its Middle Eastern and

foods. Theres a very strong and historical value behind this very exotic cuisine. It goes way back to different empires and lands.

the year 1979 I had actually been there once before during the mid 1970s, when the Shah was still in power; it was a very quick work trip and I didn't get a sense of all the local cuisine. Shortly after that first visit, the people revolted against his corrupt rule and then everything did change. Many demonstrations against the Shah commence in October 1977, developing into a campaign of civil resistance that was partly secular and also partly religious, and then it intensified in January,1978. Then between August and December 1978 all of the strikes and all of demonstrations then paralyzed this poor country. The Shah left Iran for exile vacuum only just two weeks later Ayatollah Khomeini then returned into Tehran to a greeting by several million Iranians. And then the royal reign did collapsed shortly after on February 11th when a guerrilla and rebel troops overwhelmed all the troops loyal to the Shah in armed street fighting. Iran voted to become an Islamic Republic on April 1, 1979, and to approve a new democratic-theocratic hybrid constitution whereby Khomeini became Supreme Leader of the country, in December 1979. The revolution was unusual for all of the surprise it created throughout the world: it did lack many of the customary causes of revolution, did produce profound change at great speed, was very massively popular, and replaced a West oriented, autocratic monarchy with a theocracy based that was based on Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists. Its outcome was an Islamic Republic. The Shah was then officially exiled from Iran within the year of 1979. After he was exiled in 1979, there was a hallelujah among

Iranians at the prospect of all the national unity and a much promising future. But actually, their revolution had paved a repressive Islamic state of an extreme and intimidating Islamic dictatorship.

my exotic adventure When I returned last year, I was struck by how food culture in Tehran is one of paradoxes: gray and drab on the outside and fun and even glamorous away from the authorities' watchful eyes. All of these lunches and dinners I went to were all joyful and generous, despite the general sense of dejection at how the 2009 protests against the contested election results had led nowhere. It did move me that, even in the face of such a hardships, the food culture of Iran had not only survived, but thrived. On my first day back in Tehran, I visited the markets, which were in full bloom with produce from the country's rich agricultural west. In Tajrish, one of the city's nicest outdoor bazaars, womenâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;some clad in chadors, a very full-body cloak, others elegantly dressed under long coats, with some loose scarves draped over their hairâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;were all buying what I recognized to be this cuisine's very elemental ingredients: fresh pomegranates and limes, both fresh and dried; delicious pickled vegetables and dried fruit; and all delicate threads of lovely saffron, and all of the dried stigmas of these native crocus flowers that did all tint food yellow and give it a subtle, earthy spice. Bins were filled with so many cardamom pods, cinnamon, bottles of rose and other waters distilled from an herb, flowers, and the spice mix called advieh, comprising of turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, and other exotic spices, which I once had read about in a book I own. And over the years I have had the pleasure of cooking

with many of my Iranian friends in London and Los Angeles. These are two cities with large communities. But I still desperately wanted to know of the cuisines ingredients and techniques, more intimately. So then when a very close friend of mine, an architect named Nasrine Faghih, moved all the way back to her native Tehran a few years ago, I hatched up a plan. I have a Lebanese passport, which makes it easy for me to get a visa; the relationships between the two countries are friendly. Through Nasrine, and other Iranian friends networks, I set up a series of cooking dates for a visit this past December, both to the city and to some areas nearby that are known for all their regional specialties. Tehran is a very sprawling modern city of about some eight million citizens that has developed haphazardly over time. Its this country's cultural capital, which lays claim to a thriving intellectual and an artistic scene and a vibrant social life, much of which take's place behind closed doors in people's homes. As we wandered through the stalls, my dear friend Nasrine explained the use of oods that had been quite unfamiliar to me. The sour fruit jellies that looked like tiny jewels, used as the relish to flavor fish dishes, and dried oange blossom petals for the tisanes. Nasrine was excited for me to cook with her friend Minou Saberi, whom she said made the most delicious khoresht, the Iranian-style stew where meat, herbs, and vegetables or fruit slowly simmer until the whole is all thick and rich. After my market tour, Saberi, a kind woman in her 70s who passed away shortly after my lovely visit, joined me in Nasrine's kitchen and made some elegant khoresht with chicken, walnuts, and a pomegranate; a very staple Iranian ingredient. And then as we ate this sweet, tart stew with white rice, she did explain about

Top Less traditional Persian youth at a trendy cafe.

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how khoresht was different from the abgusht, which is another style of stew where the meat and vegetables are cooked in broth, removed and then they are all pounded up to a paste, then returned to thicken a the soup with torn pieces of bread. In almost all of these stews, all of the predominant flavorings of the Iranian cooking are front and center: saffron, which is ground and mixed with water before it is added to a variety of foods. From a rice to vegetable oil that is drizzled over finished dishes. Omani limes, a very intensely flavorful variety, which are all dried and used whole or ground for a dash of sour flavor; and the sumac, the lemony tasting, crimson-colored berries that are grounded up. Saberi also did prepare baghali ghatoqh, a specialty from the north made with beans and sabziâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a mix of wild herbs, spinach, and scallions which Iranian cooks use in massive quantities, both cooked, as in this case, and raw, to add a refreshing counterpoint to the rich dishes. Saberi had bought hers at some markets earlier that day; there are stalls that sell only sabzi, with each of the greens in separate crates so that the blend can be tailored to each customer's tastes. The vendor chopped the ingredients together in a machine that resembled a meat grinder, and packed the sabzi in a big and plastic bag. I asked Saberi if some cooks thought chopping by hand was preferable. "You may want to spend hours chopping a mountain of herbs," she said, "but I have better things to do with my time." It didn't take long

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after my arrival in Iran to realize that bread is another huge staple of the cuisine: While rice is often thought of as Iran's iconic food, I found that cooks do usually reserve rice dishes, particularly elegantly spiced ones laden with dried fruit and nuts, for guests and special occasions. Breads, on the other hand, is everywhere, though it is never taken for granted. It is considered sinful to let bread fall to the ground or be discarded. If it becomes too dry, it is broken and added to soups or ground to make delicious bread crumbs. It was within Tehran's bakeries that I first experienced the hospitality of Iranian cooks. Every time I stopped to watch the baking, I would be offered warm bread to barberries, a local fruit with a tart flavor, and currants, which gave the dish an even more appealing aromas and textures. Kateh's rice crust is less pronounced in the flavor and with texture than the coveted tah dig, a crust thats the distinguishing feature of many of Iran's upmost elaborate rice dishes, or polows.

by the end One of my last dishes was at the home of Fereydoon AbbasNejad, a burly man with a very extraordinary handlebar moustache, on a farm outside of the city of Qazvin, south of Gilan province. He and all his family prepared a "jeweled" shirin polow, the festive dishes studded with chicken, orange rind, and pistachio, with shami kebabs, succulent ground beef kebabs seasoned

By the end of this trip I realized that as much as Iranians respect bread, they revere rice, and they have turned the cooking of it into an absolute art form.

Top Traditional Persian rice dish called Morgh Polou.

with some turmerics, cinnamons, and saffron. Abbas Nejad boils his rice before steaming it, and then tastes it at regular intervals as it cooks, the way Italians taste pasta to ensure the right degree of an al dente textures He explained that all of the grains needed to maintain a hint of bite on the inside, but not feel brittle. Abbas Nejad drained the cooked rice, then to make the tah dig, he placed lavash over the bottom of a pot before spooning the drained rice over top, and then putting it then back on the stove to crisp up. Purists makes tah dig just with riceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which is how I like itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or by the covering the bottom of the pot with thinly sliced potatoes. But Abbas Nejad's way with the bread, which created a golden crust that he mixed in with the rice so you got some tender and some crisp bits with each bite, was delicious, and then made the polow feel even more substantial and special. While we all cooked together, I was amused to see this big man carefully wrap up each of the lids for his rice pots with a fitted cloth. And as I travelled around Iran, I noticed that every household has a selection of different-size fitted cloths which were designed to prevent condensation on the lid from dripping back into the rice and ruining its perfect texture. Iran has a rich culinary history, and rice resides at the heart of all of the Persian cooking traditions. Rice was most likely introduced to Iran from India during the rule of Darius the Great in the 6th century BCE. Over time it became a staple food group item for Iran.

It cultivated in many sophisticated varieties. And quite a multitude of flavorful and fragrant rice dishes have emerged throughout the centuries. Saffron rice, cooked with herbs and tender meats; sweet rice with dried up fruits or sour cherries; vegetable rice, sometimes mixed with legumesâ&#x20AC;Ś and for the ancient royal courts, there was even rice studded with jewels. And over time, four methods have developed for preparing the Persian rice: kateh, damy, chelow, and polo. Kateh is simply just a rice steamed with water, salt, oil or butter, and sometimes saffron. Damy is rice steamed more slowly and mixed with uncooked ingredients, like beans or grains. Chelow is parboiled rice mixed with seasonings and or herbs, then slowly steamed to form a crispy tahdig (sometimes spelled tahdeeg). Polo (or polow) is a variant of chelow in which aromatic ingredients like meat, fruit, and/or vegetables are mixed into the rice. Polo rice dishes are popular for their complex, mouthwatering flavor combinations. I happened to be within Isfahan, Iran's third-largest city, for the holiday, when people prepare foods to distribute not only to the poor but also to all the neighbors and friends. The cooks at the hotel where I was staying prepared a delicously beautiful cauldron of khoresht-e gheimeh that they placed in the hotel's entrance next to a gigantic pot of rice. As neighbors filed in, servers filled Styrofoam containers for them to take home. But whats even more impressive was the kitchen of the nearby mosque where cooks were preparing enough chicken and lamb khoresht to feed a few thousand people. In the back room, lambs were awaiting slaughter while men butchered more than a thousand chickens for the stew. So, by the end of my trip I realized that as much as Iranians respect bread, they revere their cultures very delicious Persian rice. When I returned back to Tehran later that evening, I was very satisfied and happy for this experience.

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r a n ﾃ不 m a j o r IRAN'Si MAJOR

produce PRODUCE DILLWEED is very aromatic and is mainly used for the seasoning of food around the world. Persians, however, have used dill weed in a unique way in rice dishes such as Shevid polow (Dill and rice mix). It is also mixed with other herbs as part of preparing other meals almonds in Iran are oval dish). and like Sabzi polow (a rice flattened in shape and a little over an 2.5 CM long.They are rough, light brown,and have scattered small holes on the shell. A distinct spine separates the two halves of

ALMONDS in Iran are oval the almond shell. The meat of the and flattened in shape and a almond is darker brown in color little over an 2.5 CM long. than the are outer shell part it. They rough, lightofbrown, and have scattered small holes on the shell. A distinct spine separates the two halves of the almond shell. The meat of the almond is darker brown in color than the shell.

OLIVES in Iran has been shrouded in uncertainty but we know that olive was mentioned in ancient Iranian religious hymns of two thousand years CUMMIN SEED is actually ago. The history of olive one of the most important implantation in the major exported plants of Iran that olive-growing region of the did considerably cultivate country (Roodbar) has been within agricultural lands of documented for the past nineis very aromatic and DILLWEED Khorasan's many provinces.

This plant is used in foods, and the perfume industries. It is favored by the farmers.

is mainly used for all of the seasoning of food around the world. Persians, however, have used dill weed in a unique way in rice dishes such as Shevid polow

SAFFRON, whose botanical (Dill and rice mix). And it is also name crocus sativus, is the most mixed with other herbs as part of expensive spice in the world. many other meals. Derived from thepreparing dried stigmas of the purple saffron crocus, it takes anything from 70,000 to 250,000 flowers to make one pound of saffron. Only a little needs to be added to a dish to RICE is extremly prevalent as a lend it color and aroma. major staple produce within Iran,

as well as the homes of the wealthy, while in the rest of the country OLIVES within Iran have been

bread was the dominant staple.

shrouded in uncertainty but we

The varieties of rice most valued

know that olive were mentioned

within Persian cuisine are prized

CUMIN SEED is one of the most important and exported within ancient Iranian religious plants of Iran that considerably hymns of over three thousand cultivated in agricultural lands years ago. The provinces. history of olive of Khorasan This implantation in in thefood, majorpharmaoliveplant is used ceutical andofperfume industries. grown region the country has It isdocumented favored byfor farmers, so that been nine years. its stabilized its place within agricultural patterns of Khorasan.

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for these factors; and grow in the province of Isfahan.

SAFFRON, who has a botanical

name of crocus sativus, is the most

RICE is most expensive prevalentspice as a main all the world. jor staple produce within Iran, It derives from the dried stigmas and the homes of the wealthy, within a purple saffron crocus. while in the rest of the country takes anything from 70,000 bread was theItdominant staple. to flowers to make one The varieties of250,000 rice most pound of the saffron. This spice valued in Persian cuisine are is a luxury to have. prized for these main factors; their aroma, and grow mainly in the province of Isfahan.

Mazandaran

Mazandaran MAZANDARAN

Khorshan

KHORSHAN

Isfahan

ISFAHAN

KERMAN

Khorshan

BALUCHSTEN KHORSHAN

Khorshan

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RECIPES OF AN IRANIAN REFUGEE

CHEF ZARE by Kristin Donnely MEET SAN FRANCISCO'S Iranian chef Hoss Zare. After enduring hardship in Iran, this chef finds a full comfort and inspiration in the Persian food flavors of his youth. Hoss Zare, the six-foot-three chef at Zare at Fly Trap in San Francisco, is known for jaunty white pocket squares and big hugs. He’ll laugh and throw his arms around people even when they protest. His love of life, in the end, has trumped even the most horrible tragedies. He credits his strength to his parents, a very well-educated couple who did raise nine kids in Iran and whose death transformed his career. Born in Tabriz, Iran, Hoss Zare immigrated to San Francisco in 1986 joining his older brother who had moved to the city just one decade earlier. Almost immediately, Hoss began cooking to pay the bills while working his way through pre-medical coursework at the University of California at Davis. In 1985, Zare fled Iran after serving in the military, for fear of being court-martialed because he’d refused to kill innocent people. Hoss Zare's parents told him, "We might see you again, we might not, but you're going to America, a country built for people like you. We know we will see you in the newspaper someday." Zare moved to San Francisco to live with his older brother, where he took English lessons and began premed studies. To earn money, he worked as a busboy and a dishwasher at his older brother’s restaurant, Billboard Café. Then one day, his brother needed help in the kitchen. After two weeks, Zare knew he wanted to become a chef. It wasn’t until Hoss opened Zare at Flytrap, which is in San Francisco in 2008; that he dove deep in Persian cuisine. He then took it as the perfect opportunity to introduce people to the cultural wealth and heritage of his homeland by mixing Mediterranean and Persian food. At Zare at Fly Trap, Hoss entertains diners all week long with food and beverage programs created

an extraordinary space that pays tribute to the history of San Francisco. As his career progressed, he began sending his mother his restaurant reviews. “She used to joke, ‘You keep sending me photos of your face pasted on a chef’s body, but I know it’s not you because you don’t even know how to turn on the oven,’ ” he says. Since 1996, Zare has owned several restaurants in and around San Francisco, most of which focused on Mediterranean-inspired dishes. “Sometimes, when you are busy learning, you forget your own heritage,” he says. “Then something happens in your life that changes your path. In my case, it was the death of my parents.” On Zaré’s birthday in 2007, his brother called to tell him that a gang of men had broken into their parents’ home and tortured them overnight. His 86-year-old father died; his mother, badly injured, lived for only 45 days longer. Shocked, Zare stopped working for a year, taking time off to travel and reflect on what had happened. “I found myself coming back to foods I ate as a child,” he says. With memories of his mother’s cooking and advice from one of his six sisters in Iran, he began to re-create and reinterpret Persian dishes. Eventually he decided to open a restaurant focused on those flavors; Zare at Fly Trap launched in 2008. Most of the dishes on the menu are ones his mother would have recognized. “I like to bring together the cuisines I’ve learned—French, Italian,Californian— with Persian flavors,” he says. For instance, his grilled squid and watermelon salad would never be found in Iran. But its dusting of ground sumac—a tart dried berry—is distinctly Persian. World Spoon has been fortunate enough to have this Iranian chef share some delicious Iranian recipes from his youth! Flip the page if you are ready to get cooking, Persian style!

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THE GRILLED CORN Zarda is a sweetened rice dessert in which the rice is cooked in sugar along with saffron, nuts, coconut and dried fruits.

JOOJEH KABAB TOTAL TIME 40 MIN. SERVES 3

10 grams salt 3 tsp of saltder 30 grams salt 1 tsp granulated sugar 50 ml full-fat milk 1 tsp oil 2 cups pistachios 3 cups rose metals 1 cup water

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1. Sift all of the two portions of the flour separately. Add a pinch of salt to the 200 gram in portion. Keep the remainder of the 50g of flour on reserve whilst you are kneading the dough. 2. In a large bowl combine whisked eggs; cooled, melted butter; granulated sugar; and 50ml of milk. Add 200g of sifted flour and knead on a floured surface until it does forms a dough. Knead for 10-15 minutes. 3. Divide dough into two portions, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour. Roll out first portion on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. With a cookie cutter cut out circles and pinch the sides so the circle resembles the actual shape.

5. Place it on parchment paper as you shape them and cover it with a teacloth. With all of your energy knead the fine dough into then the second portion of dough. Do this for 2 minutes. 7. Place a wok on medium high heat with enough oil for deep frying. Test it with a small piece of dough, if it floats freely to the top, the oil is ready. 8. Fry the gosh-e-feel 3-4 at a time , 5-10 seconds on each side until its a very golden brown. Keep transferring it to a plate lined with a parchment paper or paper towels. 9. Sprinkle with an icing sugar, cardamom powder, crushed pistachios and rose petals! And then just simply enjoy your meal.

GOZLEMEH TOTAL TIME 30 MIN. SERVES 1

4 lbs. aubergines 1 cup plain yogurt 1 large garlic clove 1 tsp sea salt 2 freshly ground peppers 1 butter bar 2 cups water 2 loaves lavash breas 2 tsp olive oil

This is a regional dish of Tabriz, Iran and it is served throughout the country. Gozlemeh is just a perfect recipe for a spring brunch or a light summer lunch. I came across this simple and healthy recipe long ago while going through an old Iranian cooking manual of my mothers. In Iran, each region has its own unique food that the people from other provinces may not be familiar with. Finally, a few days ago I decided to give this recipe a try for the first time. I ended up making it again the next day and it tasted even better. As I prepared this warm and creamy yogurt dish topped with exquisite fried eggs and a touch of turmeric (my fave spice) and served it over toasted flat bread, it made me feel as though I had traveled to Western Azerbaijan and was eating a gozlemeh in someone's home in Orumieyeh!

1. Place the garlic clove with a pinch of salt in the mortar and pestle and finely crush it. Pierce garlic with a fork and lay them on a tray lined with aluminum foil onto bottom rack of the oven turning the garlic every twenty five minutes, for an hour and ten minutes. When they are ready, they will appear to be wilted and soft. 2. Add one whole tablespoon of water to the strained yogurt, stir well to loosen it up a little. Set it all aside so that the water can absorbe into the white yogurt. This is an important feature in this cooking process. 3. Add the crushed garlic to yogurt. Mix thoroughly. When it mixed well enough, add a pinch of sea sale and sprinkle afew garlic cloves. Than go back to mixing in the flavors into the yogurt until absorbed. 4. Heat a a tablespoon of butter on low in a nice medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic yogurt mixture, then heat thoroughly for a few minutes, remove from heat before it starts to a boil. That last step is extremely important because you do not want it to boil in with the heat! 5. Spread the yogurt mixture generously on each of the toasted breads separately. Make sure it is spread very evenly so that there are not just chunks of yogurt into random spots on the pan. 6. Heat a couple of tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, add a pinch of turmeric, swirl around the pan a couple of times. And add the eggs to the hot frying pan, cook it until the white is set, season with salt and pepper to taste. Then use a metal or plastic spatula to remove the eggs from the pan.

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THIS SWEET RICE Zarda is a sweetened rice dessert in which the rice is cooked in sugar along with saffron, nuts, coconut and dried fruits. piece.

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MAMA'S ZARDA ACTIVATE TIME 30 MIN. SERVES 1

crushed walnuts, for garnish

3 tbsp neutral oil (I use sunflower) 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp roasted cumin powder (zeera) 1 tsp + pinch turmeric powder 2 small green chilies chopped 2 cups of yogurt 3 tsp red chili pepper 2 lbs. of aubergines

1. Prepare the bharta; the aubergine base. Then pre-heat your oven to 400˚ F. Pierce aubergines with a fork and lay them onto a tray lined with some aluminum foil onto the very bottom rack of the oven turning every twenty five minutes, for an hour and fifteen minutes. When they are ready, they will appear to be wilted and soft. 2. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Scoop out the flesh from the aubergines, discarding the skin. Set it aside, and then place large frying pan on a medium-high heat and add 3 tbsp oil. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, (make sure the garlic does not turn brown). Add a roasted cumin powder and stir it for another 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the aubergine flesh, salt, the turmeric and green chilies and turn on heat to high. Sauté rigorously for 5-6 minutes, until you see that all the excess liquid has been absorbed. Turn heat off and set aside. Allow to cool. Transfer the aubergine into a mixing bowl and stir in yogurt until it is fully incorporated. And transfer to a serving dish. 3. Prepare tempered oil; tarka. Then place a small frying pan on high heat and add 2 tbsp of oil. Add a pinch of turmeric and red chili powder and remove from heat. Before serving, gently pour oil all over the yogurt. Make sure not to spill it.

4. Prepare the bharta; and aubergine base. Then pre-heat your oven to 400 F.˚ Pierce aubergines with a fork and lay them onto a tray lined with the aluminum foil on the bottom rack of the oven turning it every twenty minutes, for one hour and fifteen minutes. When they are ready, they will appear to be wilted and soft. 5. Soaked sela rice for 4 to 5 hours, into a pan boil water with yellow colors, salt, cloves, green cardamom crushed and the orange peel, cook rice till fully done, drain and keep aside, in a pan heat 1/2 cup ghee add sugar with 1/2 cup water, cook stirring till boiling and sugar dissolves completely, add in the boiled rice, mix well, cook onto high flame uncovered for 10 minutes until water dries then lower the flame and leave it on dum over a tawa for 15 minutes. 6. Add drained rice with 1/2 cup water. Cook for few minutes when water starts drying. Add milk, sugar syrup and saffron. Mix softly otherwise rice become mashy. Add color and cover to cook on simmer flame. When rice becomes at the dry stage add shallow fried dry nuts and tutti frutti. Garnish with silver warq.

“ Mama would spend hours thinly slicing fresh coco nut, pinching the skin off the blanched almonds and then chopping nuts. She wasn’t just making very sweets for a family of six, she made sure to make enough of the food for the entire neighborhood.”

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TASTE OF PERSIAN TOMATO Kebab-e-dayg is prepared in a large pot. A rich tomato sauce is made with a fragrant of caramelised onions and garlic to which kebabs are added and simmered till the sauce has seeped into each tender

THE AUTHENTIC SHALLOT In english shallot is referred to as a scallion. It grows from bulbs which have black, paper-like tunics. It has spherical flower heads on tall stems, and as such has often been confused with other similar species.

KEBAB-E-DAYG TOTAL TIME 60 MIN. SERVES 2

2 grams salt 1 large red onion 1 fresh ginger 4 garlic cloves 1 lb ground beef 2 tbsp besan 1 large white egg 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1

Handful of cumin powderd for sprinkling onto dish.

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1. In a heavy-bottomed pan add the meat, salt, 1 minced garlic clove, minced onion, tomato paste, 7 oz tomato sauce, one pinch of chili pepper and turmeric, 1 cup water. Stir, cover and leave to cook on a medium flame for one hour. Stir, and check every 20 minutes to make sure all of the liquid is evaporating and meat is not sticking to the bottom of the pot. When the water has evaporated and the mince looks saucy, stir and turn the heat off. 2. You will need to keep the boiling water handy. Place pot with tomato sauce onto a medium heat, when it starts to bubble up, add 1 cup boiling water. Gently place each kebab into the sauce with a spoon.

3. Turn the lid and turn the heat to high. When the time has elapsed, allow kebabs to jump for fifteen minutes. And make sure that they are nice and hot. Then add additional sprinkles of the salt. Then once again rub them all together until they are all absorbed with the salt. 4. Replace the lid and turn the heat to a low. Allow the kebabs to poach up into the sauce for 30 minutes. And when the time has elapsed, allow the kebabs to rest for ten minutes before serving, otherwise they may crumble into pieces. 5. Serve with some basmati rice, chapati or naan. Garnish with green chillies, mint, coriander or any other fresh herbs.

A soft, earthy and velvety mound of mashed aubergine; a taste from home. It has cumin, caramelised onions and is spiced up with red chili pepper or fresh green chilies. KEEMA BORANI ACTIVATE TIME 25 MIN. SERVES 1

large aubergine

3 tbsp olive oil 1 onion 1 tbsp whole cumin seeds 2 green chilies 1 lb minced salt 1 garlic clove 1 tsp tomato paste

1. In a heavy-bottomed pan add the meat, salt, 1 minced garlic clove, minced onion, tomato paste, 7 oz tomato sauce, a pinch of chili pepper and turmeric, 1 cup water. Stir, and cook on low flame for an hour. Stir, check every 20 minutes to make sure the liquid is evaporating and all the meat does not stick to the bottom of this cook pot. When the water has evaporated and the mince looks saucy, turn the heat off. 2. Turn your oven to 425˚ F. Pierce the aubergine with a fork and lay them on a tray lined with aluminium foil in the oven for one hour and twenty minutes. When they are almost ready, they will appear to be wilted and soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down completely.

3. In a heavy-bottomed pan add the meat, salt, 1 minced garlic clove, ½ clove of the minced up onion, tomato paste, 7 oz red tomato sauce, a pinch of chili pepper and turmeric, 1 cup of water. Stir, cover and leave to cook on a low-medium flame for one hour. Stir, check every 20 minutes to make sure the liquid is evaporating and the meat is not at all sticking to the bottom of the pot. When the water has evaporated and the mince looks ‘saucy’, stir and turn the heat off. Turn heat off.

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nowruz The Persian new year holiday, called Nowruz, is the name for the new year in the Persian calendar. It is also celebrated and observed in Iran and has spread into other parts of the world including parts of Central and Northwestern Asia. Nowruz is an official holiday lasting for 13 days and these functions do cause many festivities. Noruz marks the very first day of spring. Seven objects

beginning with the letter "S" are places on the table to symbolize the celebration of Persian new year. They each symbolize some aspect of Nowruz.

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no. 1 Sabzeh Symbolizes renewal and gets thrown in the ocean, taking with it the bad influences of the previous year in the calender.

no. 2 Samanu

no. 3 Seeb

Symbolizes rebirth and new starts. is It is a pudding in which wheat sprouts are then transformed and given a brand new life.

The word "seeb" means apple within farsi. Represents health and beauty within ones daily life and happiness for someone.

no. 5 Serkeh

no. 6 Seer

Symbolizes age and patience in ones life. It is a very sour vinegar from the traditional and very delicious Persian cider drink.

Symbolizes health and medicine. So rhis object is quite literally a garlic plant. But is has more meaning to the Persian people.

no. 4 Senjed Symbolizes love. It is the sweet, dry fruit of the Lotus tree. The fruit make people fall in love with someone totally obliviously.

no. 7 Sumac Symbolizes the concept that Good conquers evil. It is literally a mashed up verion of the sumac berry of the Middle East.

Haft Sin The Noruz, haft sin, which means goldfish in English, have a special place in the Iranian New Year, Nowruz. It symbolizes animals and is frequently seen in Iranian households during Nowruz this celebratory time. This fish is placed in a bowl on the Nowruz table. The goldfish, which is placed in a bowl symbolizes life and the end of astral year. Astral years refers to is the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun in one orbits through time.

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