In Episode #20, co-hosts Bita and Beata welcome their first special guest, Nilou Nouri, an award-winning wedding officiant and more recently, cookbook author.  Together the trio uncover some of the unique aspects of Persian weddings, including how food plays into them.

 

Defining Factors of Persian weddings:

• Elegant, formal, full of energy, super fun celebration of union and life
• “Sofreh aghd” - a meaningful spread of symbolic items representing the celebration of love and best wishes for the couple's future
• • Eggs, symbolizing fertility
  • Fresh fruits representing abundance and growth
  • Honey to bring sweetness (honey ceremony - feeding honey to each other, again to bring more sweetness; in some regions/Shiraz, feeding yogurt to each other, bringing a light and bright destiny
• Poetry, celebration of love, nature, beauty, abundance, hope and best wishes

 

Beata and Bita share about their own weddings:

• Blending of Persian culture and western wedding norms such as having bridesmaids (both Bita and Beata had bridesmaids and both had sofreh aghds)
• The sugar ceremony - grinding large, hard sugar cones and sprinkling sugar granules over the heads of the bride and groom, sprinkling sweetness on them to carry through the future.  Meaning: each sugar cone represents bride and groom;  hoping every contact between them results in sweetness
• Dancing
• The knife dance - women close to the bridal party take turns dancing with the knife or server before cutting the wedding cake

 

Wedding food:

• Javaher rice / Shirin polo / Jeweled rice
• Buffets filled with a big variety of Persian foods - more traditional
• Plated dinner, fixed menu, served

 

Reception norms:

• Dancing, dancing, and more dancing!
• Late dinner and late night

 

Resource links and recipes from this episode:

 

Nilou’s resources:

Website:  www.nilouweddings.com

IG:  @nilouweddings and @nilourecipes

Cookbook:  Amazon or www.21recipes.com 

 

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio