Last weekend, 21 March, marked the beginning of spring or Nowruz: the Persian New Year. Of the various traditions of renewal, this is my favourite. It is intended to usher in spring, wipe away the difficulties and hardships of long winters, and inject a renewed sense of self and the world around us. Having survived the snowstorms of North America this winter, I am ready for Nowruz – more this year than any other.
We grew up celebrating Nowruz thanks to my Persian-speaking grandmother, Nano, who took this 3,000-year-old tradition very seriously. Unlike Eid, it is a secular tradition and still exists in many of the countries along the Silk Route, from Turkey and Azerbaijan through Iran to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Although Persia is often confused with modern-day Iran, the word “Persia” is based on the Greek word Pars and was used to describe the lands that stretched from the Indus Valley in the present-day Subcontinent to the Nile River in Egypt. Nano was adamant that we should participate in this ritual to learn about our heritage. As children, we looked forward to it with great anticipation.
A traditional depiction of Nowruz
Along with the Koran, a volume of poetry by Hafez might be added to the haft seen table to inspire learning
The centrepiece of Nowruz is the haft seen table, which includes seven items symbolizing the new year. The table is a work of art in itself and half the fun in creating a ritual. The seven items or haft all begin with the letter ‘S’ in Persian. The seb (apples) symbolize beauty and fertility, and the exotic hyacinth (sonbol) represents fragrance. Immortality and eternity are represented by wine vinegar (serkeh) and fertility and love by wild olives (senjed). The sabzeh (lentil or barley sprouts growing in a dish) marks rebirth, the samanu (wheat pudding) sweetness, and finally the sekkeh (coins) wealth.
Together, these objects are a visual reminder of what is important in the process of renewal. Some of these additions to the table vary by region and may depend on family tradition. For instance, in Irani households, a volume of poetry by Hafez, the fourteenth-century lyrical poet, might be added to the table along with the Koran to inspire learning. One might also choose to decorate the table with a mirror to reflect the art of wisdom and creation, with candles to represent the holy fire, and even goldfish to showcase life. In our household, fresh jasmine would provide fragrance and the colour theme would vary from mint-green to saffron-yellow, depending on the planetary cycle.
The tradition itself is lovely: to reunite family through eating and drinking, to mark the transition from winter to spring, and to celebrate the beauty of life. This year, Nowruz came to Washington, DC, early and the Sackler Gallery celebrated with a daylong fete of Persian calligraphy, art, music, and crafts. The First Lady Michelle Obama also hosted a Nowruz celebration at the White House.
Putting all one's eggs in one basket
Crushed cardamom and cinnamon, preserved orange rind, fresh dill and mint: a Persian version of Like Water for Chocolate
The Sackler Nowruz provided the perfect opportunity for us to spend time together as a family. We learned how to make old Persian masks and crowns, based on the shields and crowns of the Persian emperor Cyrus. We learned about Persian calligraphy and emerged with our names written out in beautiful ancient Farsi script. We listened to old Persian songs from the 1960s and 1970s remixed to modern funk along with the traditional sounds of the santur. We ate fragrant Irani food – mouth-watering kebabs and saffron-scented rice sprinkled liberally with sumac (red cherry powder). In all this, we were not alone and some 10,000 people reportedly swarmed the gallery over the course of the day.
Signing her books at the Sackler was the grande dame of Persian cuisine and culture in DC: Najmieh Batmanglij. I had been recommended her books and classes by an Irani-American acquaintance who had nursed her way back to health by learning to cook traditional Persian foods. This year, I was invited by Najmieh to attend a Nowruz class at her Georgetown home in an historic and beautiful part of the city. Najmieh opens her home selectively for these classes, which are a portal into a magical world that no longer exists – of old Persian recipes brought to life in front of one, of music interspersed with stories and poems by Persian poets read out in Farsi and English by her husband. It was a marvellous escape from a rainy Washington DC afternoon.
Najmieh Batmanglij, the grande dame of Persian cuisine and culture
Mage Publishing, the Batmanglij printing press, specializes in Persian history and culture. Najmieh’s books are as dazzling as her food. They showcase the sophistication and elegance of old Persia, although recreated for modern cooks who might lack the patience needed to spend hours cooking and time to crush their own spices. The books contain not only recipes, but also art and poetry with pages devoted to the rituals and customs of Persian culture. The combination of music, food, poetry, and culture gives one a sense of a lost magical time and fast-changing history.
Najmieh’s kitchen is bright and airy, dotted with old black-and-white wedding photographs, Persian art, and even a recently awarded Grammy propped up casually against the wall. Najmieh revealed that it was awarded to her son Rostam for his band Vampire Weekend. Clearly, creativity runs in the family. The table had been set for all 16 of us as a traditional Nowruz feast. The fragrance that pervaded the house was part of this unique culinary experience – almost like being in a Persian version of Like Water for Chocolate.
Najmieh's kitchen - a taste of what's to come
"Nowruz is coming, so dispel the night/From your dark heart. Nowruz will give it light"
Najmieh encouraged us all to taste and smell each flavour and spice. I had never fully appreciated the exotic qualities and smells of crushed cardamom and cinnamon, preserved lemon and orange rind, fresh dill and mint until I inhaled their fragrance. They are used in different permutations to produce the most delectable foods, which are not only fragrant but also colourful. It is fitting that saffron, the most decadent of spices, owes its origins to Persia and its golden colour is representative of the spirit of spring.
Saffron-scented rice with caramelized onion
The meatballs were infused with sour cherry and pomegranate molasses. Mountains of fresh dill and luscious green herbs were used to make green kukus or Persian-style frittatas. Crushed saffron and caramelized onions elevated seemingly ordinary rice dishes to works of art. Tart barberry cherries provided a different dimension to the flavours and colourful garnishes. Throughout the class, we were encouraged to indulge our senses: to smell the fresh mint and herbs, to taste different honey and pomegranate molasses, and to take turns sautéing the dishes and serving one another tidbits of food. Ko gero pigiausios automobilių detalės BMW, Audi, VW, Volvo, Mazda, Ford, Honda, Renault ir kt.
One has to applaud Najmieh’s efforts to devote her life to celebrating in Farsi nush e jan or the food of life, the apt title of her book. Over the course of her classes and many books, Najmieh shares the touching story of her migration from Iran in the 1980s and then her work over the years to share her love for Persian culture and cuisine as she built a new life for her family in the US.
From garden to table - the rite of spring
A Nowruz greeting for the new year
Our class was a diverse mix of cultures and people. Glamorous Persian grandmothers had gathered as part of a family reunion. They stood next to an art curator who specialized in Persian art. Others, like me, had been drawn back by our experience of Najmieh’s prodigious talents. Men and women from as far apart as Trinidad and Iran were sharing their connection to cooking and interest in Persian culture. Not all could cook – some were novices while others had worked as chefs. As we shared numerous different dishes and stories, we realized we had one thing in common: an appreciation for how Najmieh could make cooking seem so effortless and soulful. She embodies the best of a cultural ambassador – by opening up her culture, her home, and her love for cooking such that one cannot help but be infected by her enthusiasm and humour. Ko gero pigiausios automobilių detalės BMW, Audi, VW, Volvo, Mazda, Ford, Honda, Renault ir kt.
As we sipped cups of fragrant green tea after this Persian feast, Mr Batmanglij recited a poem from Najmieh’s book both in Farsi and English. The poet, Mohammad-Taqi Bahar, better known as the Malek o-Sho’ara Bahar or poet laureate, wrote these verses while incarcerated in jail during the 1930s. A portion of the poem is transcribed below:
The spring has come and flower-strewn pastures shine
With buds all opening, except for mine
Nowruz is here, I hear the lilies say:
It would be wrong to grieve on such a day.
Nowruz is coming, so dispel the night
From your dark heart. Nowruz will give it light.
Keep her traditions so that God may bring
Blissful renewal to us with the spring.
For a brief moment during this recitation, I closed my eyes and was reunited with Nano at her dining table at Nowruz. I pictured my younger self sitting with her and painting eggs in the pastel colours of spring and the beauty of her haft seen table. Coming back to this world, it made me realize the significance of family traditions in creating lasting lifelong memories. It is often the simplest things in life – good food, inspiring poetry, and music – that nourish our souls and this is what Nowruz celebrates.
