#senjed

Every so often I encounter an ostensibly edible object which makes no immediate sense, fits into no previous classificatory bracket, and provides few visual hints as to its identity. On truly rare occasions, eating said object only makes things worse. Enter Senjed, a small dried fruit which, despite its wrinkled external texture, gives way to a shockingly fluffy interior; the closest comparison I can make is to some kind of prank jellybean filled with old-fashioned couch stuffing. The package, whose label I made a point only to read after attempting to figure out what was going on first on my own, describes a “taste and texture somewhere between dates and candy floss.” This, to me, seems a bit charitable. The highly informative bag, obtained from the venerable Manhattan Spice Temple Kalustyan’s, also offers a few different names for the item (Lotus Fruit, Silver Berry, Russian Olive, Oleaster Fruit), which helps to confirm that it is indeed a fruit, not some oddball candy hiding out in inside of one’s skin.

Samanu, Senjed, Sir and Somaq on the The Tehran Times Haft Seen (Nowruz Week)

March 20th, the beginning of Spring is the beginning of Iranian Calendar as well.

We make a table setting which is called Haft seen (seven “S”). Haft seen has seven items which each should start with the letter “S” in Farsi.

Sabzeh - (wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish) - symbolizing rebirth

Samanu (a sweet pudding made from wheat germ) - symbolizing affluence

Senjed (the dried fruit of the oleaster tree) - symbolizing love

Sir (garlic) - symbolizing medicine

Sib (apples) - symbolizing beauty and health

Somaq (berries) - symbolizing (the color of) sunrise 

Serkeh (vinegar) - symbolizing age and patience

Additional items on the Haft Seen setting are:

Sekkeh (coin) - symbolizes wealth and prosperity

Sonbol (hyacinth) - a spring spring flower

Mahi (goldfish) - symbolizes life