Isfahan Gaz

Translator: Fatemeh Rezapoor
Source: rasekhoon.net

Gaz is one of the most popular souvenirs of Isfahan. The raw material for this famous sweet is manna which is obtained around the city.
The history of making Gaz in Isfahan backs to 450 years ago which was made in the different types of flour, bread, including pistachios, almonds and chocolate in traditional and industrial workshops.
Gaz manna is the root of a plant which is called bush or Gaz tree. The height of this mountain tree reaches a height of two meters and it usually grows in good weather in the mountains of Bakhtiari and Khansar.
The product of this tree becomes ready to harvest in the late summer and the shiny and yellow grains come out in the stems like millet. At this time, the owners of the trees must harvest them before the autumnal rains.
In order to harvest, they broad the leathered skin of sheep which is clean and white and named Dabaleh under the tree. Then, they hit the tree with a tilt stick which is prepared for this purpose and it is named Dagank so that the grains be separated from the tree and pour on the Dableh. These Gazes are gross and they are mixed with leaves and other substances that steel sieve is used for cleaning and screens the gross so that Gaz seeds pass through holes in the sieve and debris remains on the screen. This work is usually repeated ten times in a year. The more it is repeated, the next product is inferior. The first product is flower and it has the most quality. Additional materials that remain on the screen are used for different purposes. Among the materials, the grass Gaz is used in medicine. But the main seeds which are collected in the bags are very precious and they are the original material. If the rains come before the harvest, the quality of Gaz will decrease and if the number of rains be high, the product cannot be used.
In order to produce high quality Gaz, half of the material is Gaz seeds and the other half is sugar and pistachio or almond and other materials. Sometimes, a substance called Shir Khesht was added to Gaz and sometimes even watermelon was used in it instead of pure water. This type of Gaz was customized special that was sent to the kings and heads of other countries as souvenirs and they were not found in market. But, high quality Gaz is less produced due to shortage and expensiveness of the raw material. These days, Gaz sellers use another substance called Badka made from potatoes instead of vegetarian Gaz to hold down the price. But, it does not have the taste and elegance of the original Gaz. Another type of Gaz that is sold in small metal boxes are Angoshtpich Gaz in that there is not pistachio and almond so that the old people can easily eat it.

Hsfahan Gaz

Ingredients:

Sugar: 1.32 cups (250 grams)
Water: 1 cup (160 ml)
Badka: 300g (1 cup)
Egg whites: 5 pcs (150 g)
Rose’s water: 1 tablespoon (14 ml)
Pistachio: 1.21 cups (150 g)

Method of preparation:

Put the sugar and water over medium heat so that only sugar be solved in the water. Then add Badka. At this time the material foams and comes up. Stir the material with a wooden spoon until the nectar becomes like candy.
Mix the egg whites with an electric mixer until completely be clotted. To find out the nectar is ready, pour a bit of nectar into ice water. After cooling, it should have a fragile mode.
Remove the mix from heat and stir it regularly. Add the rose’s water into the egg whites and mix them with mixer. Pour two tablespoons of nectar into the egg whites and mix well with mixer.
The pour the content of the egg whites into a bowl and stir until the material is heated (about 10 minutes). Be careful that food be not cold, because it becomes corrupted. Put the substances on the flame spreader with medium heat and mix as much as the mixer has power. When the substances became stiff, stir with a spoon in rowing. Then add pistachio kernels.
Take small pieces from the source and round it and form it with a spatula on the amount of flour.