Middle-of-the-night food forage...

A's cute...I'm sure I told him more than once that the two cakes, one chocolate the other vanilla madeira, wrapped in foil and secreted away in the kitchen waiting to be decorated were for the Mothers Day/Nom Rooz(Persian New Year) weekend.   He came back to bed after a middle-of-the-night food forage telling me that the he couldn't sleep thinking about the one I'd made for him, and that it was even more delicious than usual... I thought he was teasing me...as he does...  He wasn't...I had to chuckle and then on Sunday morning try to cement what was left of it together with fruit and cream...Not the best looking cake...but there were no complaints...

Sizdeh Bedar- Getting rid of Thirteen

" Unlike the European, the Persian does not keep his doors shut at meal times. He would think himself deficient in his duty to God, did he not spread the table of his bounty for all; every one may share what he has, without ever being displeased on account of the number of his guests." Frederic Shoberl, Persia, 1828

Sizdeh Bedar is the thirteenth day of Persian New Year and a way of celebrating the new season ridding what is thought to be an unlucky day in a happy and positive way. It's also the last day of the New Year holidays before the children return to school. Traditionally everyone goes outside for picnics and barbecues. They eat and drink, some smoke hookah pipes, play games and dance.

We were invited by friends in London to celebrate with them this year. As usual the famous Persian hospitality was abundant and we had an amazing day...

Beginning with sitting on the terrace breathing in the heady scent of jasmine whilst sipping drinks...some smoking the hookah pipe...catching up with old friends and meeting new ones...

...ate from the most delicious banquet of food....



...before being treated to a firework display which was fun especially as some of the fireworks fell over and little bangers proceeded to hail down on us sending everyone screaming into the house in fits of giggle on a number of occasions....

Finally inside to relax with tea and sweet things and play or watch a backgammon marathon....
Here is a little more insight into the customs and culture associated with Sizdeh Bedar

I can't embed this video of lovely Persian dancing in Manhatton for new year 2006 but please link over to it here and here in 2008 because they are so lovely and traditional

The clothes and hairstyles in the video below of families celebrating Sizdeh Bedar in Portland Oregan clearly show the film isn't up-to-date but it really epitomises Sizdeh Bedar and the warmth fun and hopsitality of Persian people...oh and their love for dancing which they seem to do at any and every opportunity...

Happy New Year

Happy New Year - Aide shoma mobarak

At 5.32 on Saturday evening it was the beginning of the Iranian New Year and the first day of Spring. As part of the celebration it is traditional to collect together seven items that begin with the letter S and symbolise the seven guardian angels:
birth
life
health
happiness
prosperity
beauty
light
you can see ours laid out above.

Then it's traditional to serve herb rice with fish, at least that has always been the tradition in 'A's' family. We had dill, garlic and broad bean rice this year. The rice is double cooked to make a crunchy outer crust called tahdeeg, literally 'pan bottom.' It can be turned out like an upside down pudding with a hard outer shell. When you break open the shell the soft herb and garlic rice falls out along with the butter beans like little treats. And the tahdeeg is something else!

I remember the first time my brother-in-law offered me some, I wondered why he was giving me what I considered to be burnt rice! Little did I realise that out of his generosity he was giving me the best bit of the rice.....just like the best roasted potatoes are the crunchy chewy ones with caramelised burnt bits on them.......yum....

...and even better is garlic pickle that has been preserved for so long that any bitter garlic flavour has gone.....the older the better.......just as garlic heads baked in the oven turn into delicious sweet caremelly treat to eat with the mix of soft and crunchy, herby rice and fish shallow fried in a spicy batter just like mama used to make.......double yum.......

No-rooz Preparation for Iranian New Year

Just as much, if not more preparation is put into No-rooz literally new day the annual celebration of the Iranian New Year as we put into Christmas. It's actually the marking of the exact moment when the earth passes the vernal equinox or in layman's terms the exact astronomical beginning of Spring......I can't think of a better reason to celebrate!

The No-rooz table is traditionally decorated with Haft Seen or 'seven S's' seven symbolic objects that begin with the letter S.

One of the 'S's' is sabzi, green herbs grown specially for the occasion. I used brown lentils .......I wish I'd started them off a little earlier as they aren't as lush as I would have liked....I also wish I'd time lapse videoed them, that would have been fun. Oh well there's still a few days to go........I'll keep you updated with the other six items and special food for the celebration.