Alimentary, My Dear: April 2012

Our Haft-Seen
(the traditional table setting for Persian New Year)

As the dull gray skies and chilly weather of winter begin to recede and are gradually replaced by sunnier days and corresponding sunny dispositions, it's clear that spring upon us. I always feel an inexplicable sense of buoyancy come springtime: the whole world seems a little more cheery and anything seems possible. Maybe it's just me, but it seems so natural that some cultures would choose this season to mark off a new year. Nowruz, aka Persian New Year, is one of those springtime holidays, celebrated on the vernal equinox, the first day of spring.

Narcissus flowers are sometimes featured on the haft-seen.
It's springtime!

When Nowruz came around a few weeks ago, I was excited, not only because it meant that spring was just around the corner, but also because I had the chance to connect with my culture. Because I was born in Oakland and not Tehran, because I'm only half-Iranian, and because (regrettably) I don't speak Farsi, it can be hard for me to feel connected to my Iranian roots. As you may have guessed, the one way I can really participate in and relate to Iranian culture is through food. The few Farsi words that I do know are generally food related. I grew up cherishing the times when my grandma would trace the letter "B' in cinnamon on top of her homemade Sholeh Zard (Saffron Rice Pudding) just for me. Ghormeh Sabzi might as well be my middle name, I can't get enough of it. My taste buds adore saffron, almonds, pistachios, strong tea, fresh herbs, sheep's milk feta, hunks of meat and yogurt.

Nowruz is the one time of the year that I feel really connected to my Persian side. Aside from giving me the chance to practice some of same Zoroastrian traditions that have been around since ancient times, Persian New Year helps me to relate to my culture through its emphasis on food. Food plays a large symbolic role in the traditional table setting for Nowruz, which is called the haft seen (which literally translates to 'seven-dishes setting'). Each of these seven dishes starts with the Farsi letter "s"(seen) and are each meant to symbolize something, and with the help of my trusty Persian cookbook (Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij), I can tell you what these items are and what they mean:

1. Sabzeh (sprouts, generally wheat or lentil) represents rebirth.

2. Samanu (wheat sprout pudding) represents affluence/sophistication.

3. Sib (apples) represents health and beauty.

4. Senjed (the fruid of wild olives) represents love.
Apologies for not using my own photo here, must've forgotten to take it.
Photo Credit: Tumeric and Saffron (awesome blog, check em out)

5. Sir (garlic) represents medicine.

6. Somaq ("sumac berries") represents fertility.

7. Serkeh (vinegar) represents old age.

Beyond these traditional seven dishes, there are other items that we usually put on our haft-seen: a traditional book of wisdom, coins (wealth), decorated eggs (fertility), flowering hyacinth/narcissus, goldfish mirror (images of creation), candles (enlightenment/happiness), and sweets/candies.

Other haft-seen items.

Persian sweets.

But, enough of my lecturing about Persian culture (I don't know enough about the subject to be a good lecturer anyhow). I'm sure you're all dying to see what kind of feast my grandma cooked up for us this time and I'm dying to show you. With all of my family and several family friends celebrating with us, my grandma had about 20 mouths to feed; it's needless to say that she worked pretty darn hard on all the snacks, decor, and the meal. Luckily, she has a real flair for event planning and of course is a fabulous cook. Because you readers love visuals, let me end with some photos of our meal and of our celebrations, let those speak for themselves. Happy scrolling!