Today’s blog post will take us to Central Asia, namely to Iran and Tajikistan. Both Persian (or Farsi) and Tajiki are closely related, and can be considered dialects of the same language. Persian is written with the Arabic script from right to left, while Tajiki uses the Cyrillic alphabet and is written from left to right.
Here is the vocabulary for some fruits in both Persian and Tajiki:
Author: Andreas Tille via Wikipedia Commons Eyjafjallajökull
Since it is now winter in the Northern hemisphere, today’s blogpost will take us to the very North of Europe, namely to Iceland (or Ísland), and I will share some Icelandic words for different types of snow. 🙂
snjór or snær = snow
hjarn = crust of snow, or snow that does not melt in summer
lausamjöll = powder snow
mjöll and ný snævi = new-fallen snow
krap = slush
fönn = drifted heap of snow, snow-wreath, or snow that does not melt in summer
Author: Sb2s3 via Wikipedia Commons
There are also different words for different types of snowfall in Icelandic:
snjókoma or fannkoma = snowfall
snjómugga = a small snowfall
hundslappadrífa = very heavy snowfall with large snowflakes in calm weather
kafald or kóf = thick fall of snow
ofanbylar = snowfall in a wind
skafrenningur = drifting snow
hraglandi = sleet, or cold drizzling shower
bylur or hríð = snowstorm
drífa = snow-drift
él = a sudden fall of snow or hail, or hailstorm
fjúk = drift, drifting snow-storm
Author: Conifer via WIkipedia Commons
Dried barberries Berberis vulgaris
Today’s blog post is taking us to the Near East, and here in particular to Iran, and focuses on a particularity of the cuisine there, namely the berries called zereshk (زرشک) or barberries, as they are known in English.
Zereshk are the dried fruit of the Berberis shrub (Berberis integerrima ‘Bidaneh’), which is widely cultivated in Iran and can reach a height of up to 4 m. The plant is mildly poisonous except for its berries and seeds. The berries are very sour and have a tart flavor, and taste a bit like cranberries. They are rich in vitamin C and are used both for cooking and jam-making. A traditional dish in Iran is زرشک پلو (zereshk polow) or barberry rice, a dish of rice (pilaf) with spices, e.g. saffron, and zereshk-berries mixed into it. Other zereshk products include juice and zereshk fruit rolls.
Author: Arnstein Rønning via Wikipedia Commons
Iran is the largest producer of zereshk, and zereshk and saffron are often produced on the same land and the harvest is at the same time. A garden of zereshk-shrubs is called zereshkestan ( زرشکستان) . The South Khorasan province in Iran is the main area of zereshk, and also of saffron, production in the world, especially the area around Birjand and Qaen.
Even though the barberry shrub is native to Central and Southern Europe, barberries are no longer widely known or used in Europe since the Berberis vulgaris (European barberry) is an alternate host species of the wheat rust fungus (Puccinia graminis), a grass-infecting rust fungus that is a serious fungal disease of wheat and related grains. For this reason, cultivation of barberries is prohibited in many places, e.g. in parts of Canada and the Unites States.
