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origiran — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 09:07:23 +0000

Iranian Saffron

Iran can be considered as the cradle of the world’s saffron. Almost 90 percent of the world’s saffron is produced in Iran. Even many of saffron that are distributed with label of other countries are from Iran. Saffron in Iran goes back 3000 years and still has its own power. Saffron is known as the red gold of desert because its origin is Iran’s deserts. Even Unlike the fact that many believe the word saffron originates from Arabic name, Iran is the origin of its name and most of the Arabic sources have reference to Iranian sources.

Iranian Tea

ea is originated from china and India considers itself as another owner of tea industry in the world. Tea cultivation in Iran has not the long history of these two countries but the specific climate of northern Iran which has a good moisture and is mountainous can provide a great product. Iranian tea is of the cleanest teas in the world and pesticides are not used in its cultivation. Mountainous climate of northern Iran is greatly effective in improvement of taste of Tea and moreover allows plants to be free of pests which is one of the reasons for not using pesticides.

Iranian Carpet

The art of carpet weaving in Iran originated more than 2,500 years ago. Persian carpets and rugs were initially woven as articles of necessity to cover the floors of nomadic tribesmen, giving them protection from the cold and damp. The natural progression of the skill and craft involved in the creation of these works of art has been passed down from generation to generation over the centuries throughout periods of peace, invasion and war. As international trade developed, the variety of patterns and designs grew.

Iranian rosewater

Fragrances are like songs which accompany you. Now if these fragrances are associated with a good taste, we all will enjoy it. Rosewater is the complete and clear definition of these conditions. You only have to open it and it’s will play with your mind like a light music and you will be amazed by its taste similar to an orchestra peak. Rosewater is another one of pleasant and lovely products of Iran. It must seem strange to you that most of the perfume designers travel to Iran to buy original high-quality rosewater personally. Rosewater is produced from damask rose which is a type of rose in a process developed by Iranians.

Iranian pistachio

There is no doubt that Iranian pistachio has the best taste and maximum nutrition. The special climate of Kerman province is the only best place for growing pistachios.

Iranian pistachios offer various advantages that set them apart from other types of pistachio in the world. Higher meat content offers better value for money. Iranian pistachios have a world-famous taste that is unrivalled.
This taste advantage is enhanced by roasting Iranian pistachios at higher temperatures, made possible by higher unsaturated oil content. This high temperature roasting eliminates any bacterial contamination, which may be present in raw product.

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Are There Benefits of Rosewater (Golab) on the Skin?

origiran — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 20:06:07 +0000

Rosewater is created by distilling rose petals, which results in an aromatic liquid infused with the oils and essence of the petals. While rosewater makes a subtle and feminine perfume, it has several other beauty uses that benefit the skin. Many commercially developed skin care products have already incorporated this garden favorite into their skin care lines.

As a skin soother, rosewater is an all-in-one solution. Its anti-inflammatory properties help to reduce excessive skin redness, whether from broken capillaries or general skin blotchiness. It also has hydrating properties that help to soothe dry, irritated skin, and is used as a cooling treatment for sunburns. Soaking cotton balls in rosewater and holding them under the eyes can reduce the appearance of dark under eye circles.

Rosewater has mild astringent qualities, making it a good choice to remove excess skin oil and tone pores. You can even use it as a cleanser itself to remove excess dirt and oil, thus keeping pores unclogged. When applied topically, it can even help to reduce the inflammation associated with acne, and topical application can also result in receiving the benefits of its wound healing properties.

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Hidden pink gems on the central Iranian desert

origiran — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 16:03:21 +0000

The dry central desert of Iran has hidden pink-colored gems in its depth and the spectator eyes are dazzled at the rubies. Every year during the second half of May, an ancient festival is being held in Kashan and surrounding areas where many people from different parts of the country and abroad are gathered to see flower-picking and process of extracting rosewater as well as historic monuments and architecture. Over 2,000 Kashani inhabitants are involved in the cultivation, growing and picking roses and the production of rosewater whose major activity is centered at the Karkas Mountain slopes and the west of Kashan. The cultivated lands are estimated by the experts at 850 hectares and on the average three tons of rose are harvested at each hectare.

The flowers should be picked before sunrise to preserve their fragrance and members of each family specially women set out to rose gardens once they are through with their morning prayers and addressing their appreciation to the Lord for his blessings. The sight of women with rose-filled baskets under their arms is quite interesting. The season for picking rose and preparing rosewater is from early May to mid-June. In early May, the scent of rose spreads over different areas of Kashan, such as Ghamsar, Barzak and Niasar.

Ghamsar rosewater

Ghamsar is like a shining star on the central Iranian desert; surrounding mountains encircle it like a ring and protect its rose gardens against the heat of the desert. It is the breeding ground for the finest and the most exquisite Mohammadi flowers and has the best traditions and methods for production of rosewater. It is also the first place where industrial production of rosewater has begun and there are many workshops in the city which produce rosewater. The environment of this garden city, the shade of trees and sound of flowing water in addition to music of birds and nightingales and fragrance of roses, has created an incredible milieu on the side of the desert.

Ghamsar looks like paradise when becomes colorful as the spring begins and rose water ceremony commences. Its hospitable people collect roses, boil them in special pots and collect their water in beautiful containers. It is a pride for the city that each year, the most sacred place on earth, the Kaaba in Mecca, is washed with rosewater from Ghamsar. Although production of plant essences has a long history in Iran, but traditional rose water production machines were used to produce rose water for commercial purposes. Before that, rosewater was produced through small distillation equipment for local uses. Anyway, production of rosewater has been in vogue since ancient times and has sometimes led to prosperity of copper, glass making and packaging industries. Most of the local product is exported to other parts of the country and, therefore, despite most handicrafts, it has held its ground in contemporary times and has constantly improved in terms of quality and quantity.

Another outcome of that situation was spread of the industry to neighboring villages of Ghamsar and even to other provinces during past decades. The emphasis put on Ghamsar is due to high quality of its rosewater which results from natural conditions of the city. The city has been and still is the main production center for the highest quality rosewater as a result of its natural and climatic conditions. According to a study carried out by professors of Tehran University, the essence of Mohammadi flower of Ghamsar and the subsequent rosewater has a concentration of 35 mg per 100 ml or 350 ppm, which makes it the finest and highest quality rose water in Iran and even in the world.

Medical purposes

The Iranian red flower or Mohammadi flower is unique and most botanists have opined that it has been first planted in Iran and then taken to other countries. Due to containing tannin, Gallic acid, essence, fatty acids, pigments and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), petals of Mohammadi flower are used not only for production of rosewater and essence, but for production of rose petal jam.

Since a long time ago, this plant was used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases including chronic diarrhea, rheumatic pains, blood abnormalities, and sore throat. The part of the flower, which is used to produce rose water and essence, is petals. Boiled petals of Mohammadi flower are alkaline and constitute a good remedy for stress, flatulence, and abdominal colic. The boiled petals are also used to fight depression and to treat palpitation, insomnia, ordinary and bloody diarrhea, sickness, and inflammation. In the past, rose water was used in traditional Iranian medicine to treat rheumatic heart disease, to strengthen gastric nerves, and to treat some forms of headache and sickness.

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Iran produces 90% of global rosewater

origiran — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 08:37:31 +0000

Iran supplies 90 percent of the global demand for rosewater in light of its great farms and high-quality Mohammadi roses, said Mohsen Hallaji, who is involved in the development of Industrial Cluster of Kashan Rosewater, Herbal Drinks and Essence.

He told Iran Daily that Kashan is the hub for producing Mohammadi rose and rosewater in Iran.

Kashan, which has 1,900 hectares under cultivation of Mohammadi rose, is home to 10 percent of entire Mohammadi rose farms nationwide.

He put the average Mohammadi rose production at four tons per hectare while the total output of Mohammadi rose from farms and rose gardens in Kashan stands at 8,000 tons.

Hallaji said extraction of rosewater (golabgiri) is conducted using traditional and industrial methods.

“We have 27 industrial units and 1,500 traditional units for rosewater production across Kashan, providing direct or indirect job opportunities for 18,000 people.”

Since Kashan has many rosewater extraction factories and workshops, Mohammadi roses produced in farms of Kerman, Fars, Tabriz and Khorasan regions are also sent to Kashan for extracting rosewater, he said.

Close to 40 percent of rosewater is consumed domestically and the rest is exported, he added.

Hallaji further said the majority of Iranian rosewater is exported to Persian Gulf littoral states, Afghanistan, Iraq, European nations such as Germany, Southeast Asian nations like Japan and Malaysia, Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan, Armenia and Uzbekistan as well as to Canada and Russia.

He continued that in addition to rosewater, 80 herbal drinks are also produced in Kashan.

Hallaji put the production of rosewater and herbal drinks at 210,000 tons in the year to mid-March 2015 and this figure rose to 220,000 tons in the year to mid-March 2016.

He said that exports of rosewater and herbal drinks reached 1.6 million liters bringing in hard currency revenues of $2.1 million in the year to mid-March 2015. This increased to 1.88 million liters valued at $2.4 million in the year to mid-March 2016.

Hallaji noted that meager essence is produced in Kashan.

Essence has high value-added and is sold to perfume manufacturers, he added.

“Currently, we are planning to increase the production of essences.”

All workshops and industrial units which produce rosewater in Kashan are affiliated to Industrial Cluster of Kashan Rosewater, Herbal Drinks and Essence, he said.

At present, 500 industrial clusters have been identified across the country, he added.

He said Industrial Cluster of Kashan Rosewater, Herbal Drinks and Essence has been established under the supervision of the Organization of Small Industries and Industrial Townships of Iran.

“We seek to increase rosewater and herbal drinks production in Kashan,” he concluded.

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Gulab jamun (sticky saffron-flavoured dumplings)

origiran — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 20:58:53 +0000

These are really delicious and one of India’s favourite little desserts. They are traditionally made with reduced milk but as that takes a lot of time and effort, many of us make them with dried milk powder instead. They are easy to make and the only two tricks to getting them right is a soft dough and frying them over a very low heat so they cook all the way to the centre. They are very moreish! Serve as they are or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

200 g full fat milk powder
65 g plain flour
⅔ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp ghee, plus extra to grease your hands
100 g yoghurt
100 ml full fat milk, approximately
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
finely chopped pistachios, to serve, optional

Syrup

350 g sugar
2 good pinches saffron strands
½-1 tsp rose water, or to taste

Instructions

Place the milk powder, flour and baking powder in a large bowl and stir to combine well. Add the yoghurt and most of the milk and use your hands to combine until a moist and slightly sticky dough forms. Add the remaining milk if necessary. Set aside.

To make the syrup, place the sugar, saffron and 650 ml water in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the rose water and set aside.

Pour about 10 cm oil into a wok or wide saucepan and place over low heat.

Divide the dough in half. Working with one half and keeping the other half covered so it doesn’t dry out, grease your palms well with ghee and shape the dough into 9 small tight balls. I like to make them slightly oval rather than round but you can shape them how you like. The surface should be smooth and crack-free. If the dough is too soft to shape, add a little more milk powder.

To check if the oil is ready, put a tiny ball of the dough into the oil. It should only sizzle very slightly. When ready, add the balls, stirring the oil as you put them in. Cook, stirring and turning regularly, for 15-17 minutes or until they are a deep golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place straight into the syrup.

Repeat with the remaining dough. Leave the gulab jamun in the syrup to soak for 2 hours or overnight, covered in the fridge. They should last 10 days or more.

You can serve them cold, at room temperature or hot, sprinkled with pistachios if using. I like them hot so heat them in the syrup on the stove or in the microwave

by: Anjum Anand

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