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The Sofreh: Comfort and Community among Women in Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Faegheh Shirazi
Faegheh Shirazi*
Affiliation:
Department of Middle Eastern Studies, the University of Texas at Austin
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Type
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Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , June 2005 , pp. 293 - 309
Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 2005

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Footnotes

1

An earlier version of this paper was presented at The Fourth Biennial Conference on Iranian Studies, May 24–26, 2002, Bethesda, Maryland in the panel Food as a Medium of Public Policy and Popular Culture.

References

2 Claudia Roden, from the foreword (pp. i–iv) in Zubaida, Sami and Tapper, Richard (eds.), A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East (New York, 2000)Google Scholar.

3 Val Moghadam, personal communication, August 25, 2003.

4 Sabry Hafez, “Food as a Semiotic Code in Arabic Literature,” in A Taste of Thyme, 259–260.

5 Batmanglij, Najmieh, New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies (Washington, D.C., 1992)Google Scholar.

6 Mai Yamani, “You Are What You Cook: Cuisine and Class in Mecca,” in A Taste of Thyme.

7 Cited in Spellberg, D.A., Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past: The Legacy of A'isha bint Abi Bakr (New York, 1994)Google Scholar. Al-tharid is mentioned in the following ahadith: Ibn/sa'd, Tabaqat, 1:39; a;-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, 5:29; Muslim, Sahih al-Muslim, 6:138; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 3:156.

8 The English translation of the prayer is mine.

9 The now and the hereafter.

10 A sign of blessing from God.

11 Fatima al-Zahra, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.

12 Qur'an, Chapter CVIII, verses 1–3 (Kuthar), “The heavenly Fountain of unbounded grace and knowledge, mercy and goodness, truth and wisdom, spiritual power and insight, which was granted to the holy Prophet, and man of God, and in some degree or other, to all men and women who are sincere devotees of God. That Fountain quenches the highest spiritual thirst of man: It confers overflowing benefits of all kinds. To the man of God, rich in divine; Blessings is granted a Fountain unfailing; That will quench the spiritual thirst of millions. Turn, then, in devotion and sacrifice to God, Nor heed the venom of Hatred, which destroys; Its own hopes, alas, of the present and the future!” Usuf Ali. The Holy Qur'an, Text, Translation and Commentary. Brentwood: Amana Corp. (1983). p.1798, commentary 6286.

13 Bulgur is parboiled cracked wheat, a very bland ingredient from which many dishes are made. I believe the reference here is a metaphor for serving tasteless food. In Iranian cuisine, using butter, sugar, and spices (which are relatively expensive) is considered a sign of respect and honoring a guest. Sugar, butter, and spices would not be used in large quantities in everyday, ordinary cooking but reserved for special occasions, especially when entertaining guests.

14 Paternal uncle of the Prophet Muhammad.

15 The “Prince of Righteousness,” a title sometimes used for Imam Husayn.

16 Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shi‘i Imam Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet.

17 Mirnia, Seyyed Ali, Farhange Mardoum [Folklore Iran] (Tehran, 1369/1990), 207Google Scholar.

18 Kachi is similar to halva in its ingredients and preparation—both start with cooking flour in butter or oil and include saffron or turmeric. Kachi, however, is not as sweet. It is usually prepared for pregnant women or those who have just delivered a baby. Normally, the new mother eats this dish for the forty days of her rest period after delivery.

19 Mirnia, Farhange Mardoum, 192–195.

20 Mirnia describes the candles as being made from a mixture of wood and cow's fat with a homemade cotton wick; they measure about one centimeter wide and twenty centimeters long. Individual candles are placed on a tray or on a piece of brick by securing them with clean mud, allowing them to dry out in the sun completely. Farhange Mardoum. 192.

21 One of Abu l'Fadl's titles. It establishes a direct link between him and the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad.

22 Another name for Ali ibn Abi Talib.

23 See Ali, A. Yusuf, The Holy Qur'an, Translation and Commentary (Brentwood, MD, 1983)Google Scholar, 168. Yasin is “the heart of the Qur'an,” as it concerns the central figure in the teaching of Islam and the central doctrine of revelation and the Hereafter; thus it is appropriately read in solemn ceremonies. See also Asad, Muhammad, Message of the Qur'an: Translated and Explained (Gibralter, 1980), 673Google Scholar. Yasin is almost entirely devoted to the problem of man's moral responsibility and, hence, to the certainty of resurrection and God's judgment; therefore, the Prophet called upon his followers to recite it over the dying and in prayers for the dead.

24 Malandra, William W., translator and editor, An Introduction to Ancient Iranian Religion: Readings from the Avesta and Achaemenid Inscriptions (Minneapolis, 1983), 102Google Scholar.

25 Malandra, Ancient Iranian Religion.

26 For information on variations of Sofreh-e-Nowruzi, see Sh‘bani, Reza, Adab va Rosum-e Nowruz (Tehran, 1379/2000)Google Scholar.

27 Honari, Morteza, Eyd-e Nowruz va yek maqaleh-e- tahqiqi dar barah-e salha-ye hejri va shamsi (London, 1369 H. Sh.)Google Scholar. See also Sha'bani. Adab va Rosum-e Nowruz. The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos), a festival with pre-Hispanic roots that is celebrated in Mexico and some parts of Latin America and the U.S., shares several beliefs and strikingly similar practices with the ancient celebration of Nowruz.

28 Zadeh, Seyyed Ali Asghar Shariat, Folklore of People of Shahrood (Tehran, 1371 H. Sh.), 390–394Google Scholar.

29 Jafri, S.H.M., The Origins and Early Development of Shi ‘a Islam (London, 1990), 394Google Scholar. When the Prophet Muhammad and his army conquered Fadak, the people of the area gave him the fruit orchards and some of the lands there. After the prophet's death, a dispute arose over his daughter Fatima's inheritance of the Fadak property due to disagreement about what was personal and what was public property. The Second Caliph, Umar, one day went to the home of Fatima when her husband Ali was not there in order to argue for the property. She did not allow him to enter, and in anger, he kicked the front door open while Fatima was standing behind it. Her ribs were broken and she died shortly after the incident (see pp. 62–63).

30 Abadi, Muhammad Asadiyan Khorram, Farrokhi, Mohammad Hosain Bajlan, and Kiyani, Mansor, Bavarha va Danesta dar Lorestan va Ilam (Tehran, 1358/1979)Google Scholar.

31 Sadeq Hedayat, Nairangestan (Tehran, n.d.).

32 Asman Nadideh means “not seen by the sky,” a clear reference to not having been cooked outdoors.

33 Hedayat, Nairangestan, 61–63.

34 Shariat Zadeh, Folklore of People of Shahrood, 390.

35 Hedayat, Nairangestan, 63–64.

36 Mohadessi, Javad, Farhang-e Ashura (Qum, 1374 H. Sh.), 185–186Google Scholar.

37 One of the clearest expressions of this idea is the Catholic belief in transubstantiation—that during the consecration in the mass, bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus—and that through partaking of them in Holy Communion, believers literally commune with God.

38 Bynum, Caroline Walker, Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women (Berkeley, 1987), 1–2Google Scholar.