Follow us as we bring you a series of posts on Persian Love Stories.
I'm Melody, CEO of InspirEngage, a Mindset Coach. I was born in Iran, moved because of the war, grew up in Sweden and have lived in England now for 23 years.
I grew up with 'Dorehami' (get togethers) that involved cooking, eating and a lot of warmth with friends and loved ones. This is the best thing about Persian food - it's not actually about the food itself, but what happens around food!
Every culture has its love language. I would say in Persian culture it's connection. We like to FEEL connection to others: to talk, debate, to cry, to laugh, share our feelings, thoughts and ideas. 99% of this happens at the table, over meals and chai.
So you see, food is important. Not just for eating. But for what happens whilst we eat, that’s so much more important to us: connection.
I cook several times a week to fulfil my children's many requests! My children, Kian who is 8 and my daughter Arielle Persia who is 5, both love Persian food… we regularly fight over tahdig! I had to come up with a solution in the end which was to fold a tortilla bread and cut it in equal parts (I recommend it)!
Truth is, I was never interested in cooking nor was I a natural cook. Some people grow up with it - I grew up eating it and enjoying the culture, but I never cooked! I was always so busy with my career and travelled a lot for work. But when I became a mother, I wanted my children to feel those 'connections' too and have great memories of dinner time together. I would say my special ingredient is love. I cook with so much love for what those meals mean to us as a family.
Kian's fave foods are Zereshk Polo, Adas Polo and Chelo Kabab. Arielle Persia's fave foods are Kotlet, Adasi and Sabzi Polo Mahi.
Persian food is a true love story!
Melody x
Favourite dish: My fave dish of all time is Ghormeh Sabzi - the king of all Persian dishes! But there's no Persian food I don't like. It's my true soul food.
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