Samanu is a traditional Iranian pudding made from sprouted wheat and wheat flour, often flavored with sugar and nuts. It is prepared by women during the Nowruz celebration and is a symbol of wealth and prosperity. The preparation process takes several days and has been adopted by other Middle Eastern nations.
Samanu is a pudding-like dish made from sprouted wheat and wheat flour that is sometimes flavored with sugar and nuts. The dish originated in Iran, where it is a regular feature of the annual New Year celebration known as Nowruz. Preparing samanu in the traditional way requires several days of preparation and Iranian custom dictates that it can only be done by women, although the strictness of this rule has been relaxed in modern times.
Traditional samanu consists of two main ingredients: wheat flour and sprouted wheat. This sprouted grain is ground into a paste and then mixed with wheat flour and, in some cases, water. Some cooks choose to add additional ingredients such as sugar or ground pistachios to add flavor to the dish. The mixture is cooked in a large pot until it reaches a thick, pudding-like consistency.
Generally, samanu is not considered an everyday dish, but is instead prepared during the Iranian New Year celebration known as Nowruz, which spans several days in March every year. In an age-old Nowruz custom called Haft Sin, a table in one’s home is set with seven items starting with the Iranian alphabet with the letter S. Each of these items, which includes foods such as garlic, vinegar, and apples, are intended to symbolize a virtue, such as love, health, regrowth and so on. Samanu is among these seven traditional objects of Haft Sin, and is seen as a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
Preparing samanu the traditional way requires several days of preparation, as the grain used in the dish must be soaked until it begins to sprout. Usually, only the women were allowed to prepare the pudding and often groups of women gathered for a samanu feast which began at night and lasted until the early hours of the morning. In the modern era, sometimes whole families participate in the preparation of the dish. Over time, the preparation of samanu has also been absorbed into the New Year celebrations of other Middle Eastern nations, such as Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
