Soups and Ashes

Recipes: Pomegranate Soup | Lamb Shank Soup with Green Herbs

Soup plays a vital role in Iranian tradition. Many different kinds of soup are served to mark special occasions, and sharing a bowl of soup is believed to forge the bonds of friendship. Sometimes, in an act symbolizing great intimacy, friends or lovers sip from the same spoon to seal their devotion. Some soups are thin, but many are thick and substantial enough to serve as main course. An ash (rhymes with squash) is a wonderfully flavorful thick soup. In Persian, the cook is called ash-paz, or the soup preparer, and the kitchen is ash-paz khaneh, the place where the soup is prepared. For best results, make the ash a day in advance to give the flavors a chance to meld, and reheat it just before serving. Add the garnish at the last minute, after pouring the soup into the tureen. We Persians like to decorate our soups with various garnishes, creating patterns that are pleasing to the eye. Just before serving, stir in the garnish. Serve with warm crusty Persian bread like sangak, lavash, or pita.

Credits: All photos and recipes from New Food of Life: Ancient Persian & Modern Iranian Cooking & Ceremonies or Silk Road Cooking: a Vegetarian Journey, copyright Najmieh Batmanglij 1986-2004. Courtesy of Mage Publishers, 1032 29th St. NW, Washington, DC 20007.