There are a handful of foodie trips worth taking outside of the downtown core, and little Tehran is one of them. Nestled in a suburban North York plaza, Bi Bi is a wonderful pastry gallery that is "modeled" (something like a localized franchise, perhaps a sustainable food globalization model?) after a famous pastry shop in Tehran.
The history of Persian pastry-much like everything else in Iran-is mixed and divided. I"ll try and cover some of the basic categories and personal favourites but I leave it to you to visit this great little foodie gallery and experience the array of various goodies for yourself. Above and beyond the wonderful experiential characteristics of Bi Bi as a pastry shop, their unique selection of pastries and beverages make it one of my favourite sweet tooth hangouts.
The Goods | Shirini Koshk
On the more traditional end there is shirini khoshk (dry pastry), which could be described as biscuit like pastry, with slightly more variation and complication. Everything from rice based, to chickpeas to walnut and fig filled "biscuits". You can also try shirni yazdi, which is where the modern day muffin has it's roots. My personal favourite in the dry category is Gata, an armenian based pastry of rolled dough with a thick buttery centre.
The Goods | Shirini Tar
And on the other end, there is shirini tar (wet pastry), which is more along the lines of cake like pastry. Unlike shirini khoshk, the exact gastronomic history of shirini tar is unclear, but there is definitely French influence in this type of pastry, with a Persian twist of course. My personal favourites Roulette [much like a French roullete, but with a touch pistachio and rose flower], creme puff [like a French creme puff, but with a much lighter cream and a hint of rose water) and napoleon [layered pastry with the same light cream and hint of rose water]. The third category, is zoolbia and bamie type of pastry, which is actually fried pastry. This my least favourite category so I will skip right over it but some people love it.
Beverages
And finally we get to the wonderful world of beverages, which in fact to some extent carries the gastronomic complications of the pastries they accompany. The are a number of options, but my personal favourite is Majoon (mix). It's puree of ice cream, milk and dates, so very thick, topped with banana, honey, pistachio and a touch of coconut. Nice strong complimentary flavours. 
Other notable favourites are havij bastani, which is carrot juice with persian ice cream (saffron, rosewater, cream), almost like a float. I know, you're thinking carrot juice and ice cream? And I say, root beer and ice cream?
You can also try various fresh juices, such as carrot juice, pomegranate juice and various shakes like cantaloupe and banana and milk.
And if your tummy hurts from trying too many things, you can always have a khake shir (teff milk). It's a seed from plant known as lovegrass in North American agriculture. It serves as traditional medicine for digestive problems, and it's refreshing when made into a cold drink with a splash of rosewater.
Last but not least, there is tea. The staple of all human interactions in Iran. Generally Iranian tea is a composition of Ceylon and Darjeeling, sometimes mixed with other variants steeped for at least 20 minutes. Even the tea can be a gastronomic experience as you have it with saffron infused sugar cubes and crystalized sugar (nabat).
I'll leave the ice creams for another blog posting dedicated to the category in the appropriate season :)
Next in the Foodie Series: The Pastry Shop | A Dying Art i'll be visiting a true Parisian delight, Nadege pastries...coming soon.
Posts
