Cake Eshgh – Persian love cake

Today and every day we celebrate LOVE! Valentine’s day has come and gone and I am just getting around to posting this cake recipe on the blog. To state the obvious, Valentine’s day was not always a day that was celebrated in Iran and there was certainly no cake to go with it! But as…

Moraba-ye Beh – Quince jam with rosewater

Let there be jam! Homemade jams are such an integral part of Persian culture and cuisine. Quince is one of those rare and sometimes underappreciated tart and crisp fruits that are best enjoyed either cooked in a stew or made into a jam. Quince is an ancient fruit that finds its origin in the Mediterranean…

Halva Havij – Carrot halva

Halva, an Arabic word meaning sweet, is a well-recognized global dessert that by many accounts dates back to 7th century Persia, when dates and milk were cooked to create a creamy paste. Since then, the term halva has been used to reference a variety of sweets that include the cooking of wheat, rice, or semolina…

Baghlava – Persian Baklava

Baklava is a layered pastry dessert typically made of filo pastry and filled with finely ground nuts. They are then sweetened with either syrup or honey and seasoned with various warming and sweet spices. Baklava continues to be one of the most recognizable and popular sweet pastries in Iran, Syria, Lebanon, India, Armenia, Greece, and…