The Exotic Flavors
of Parsi Cuisine
Parsi Cuisine has gained favor in India over the years,
and has also attracted followers of ethnic food in the
west. Cookbooks displayed are:
•
Recipes: The Time And Talents Club Annual
Cookbook. Often an heirloom passed from Mother
to daughter, and often gifted to new daughters in
law. No Parsi home is without a copy of this well
loved cookbook, which includes international
recipes and well-loved favorites such as ‘Patra ni
machi’ (fish in banana leaf) and ‘malido’ (a sweet
semolina dessert).
•
Bhikoo Manekshaw’s Parsi Food and Customs
mixes and wise philosophy and cozy advice with
delicious recipes for easy home cooked parsi meals.
•
Two versatile Pennsylvanian Parsee ladies Nergesh
Unwala and Nergesh Karanjia are authors of An
adventure in Exotic Parsi Indian Cooking, a
delightful set of recipes for the busy home.
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Picture Credits:www.sanjeevkapoor.com, www.gourmetindia.com
www.tribuneindia.com www.binisparsicuisine.com
www.ispotpotpourri.blogspot.com
The Parsi Home and
love of the Arts
Crafts and Home-décor:
Traditional home décor combined simplicity,
elegance in a number of exquisitely handcrafted utilitarian and decorative objects. On
display are some examples:
Four classic Torans: Torans or bead garlands are
still used in traditional homes to decorate the
door-frame of family rooms and bring good
luck
Embroidered tablecloths: Parsee women created
lovely hand embroidered linens for use in
their homes
Parsees love crystal and delight in surrounding
themselves with objects of beauty. The
Jehangir Art Gallery in Bombay (funded by
Sir Cowasji Jehangir) is a testament to such a
lifelong passion for art and has been open to
the public for half a century.
Photo Credits: www.anothersubcontinent.com www.flickr.com
Silver fruit-bowl: Detailed and
intricately wrought silver-work was
always preferred by Parsees. In
fact, parsees are known to have a
fondness for silver and crystal in
their homes.
Glass-beaded water-glass cover:
Many Parsees will recognize this
item from their grandparent’s time.
Such covers were used to keep
away flies. The glass beads
produced a delightful tinkle when
removed or replaced. This sound
may be the first childhood memory
for many Parsees.
Customs and
Traditions
Deevo- Agarbati: Prayers and devotions in
the home:
Display Articles:
A small afarganyu (container for creating a small
devotional fire,
deevo (simple floating wick oil candle),
agarbatti (incense sticks),
sukhar (sandalwood),
loban (frankinsense),
tacha (sandalwood shavings),
Prayer books are often used when Zoroastrians
pray in their homes.
The guiding theme of simplicity dictates that
objects be relatively unadorned to focus on
the true experience of prayer. Electric
lamps are also frequently used.
The Jashan Ceremony is performed by a
priest or Dastoor to bless the home of a
Zoroastrian family.
Chalk porvanu: A Traditional art:
Using small metal containers filled with
powdered chalk, beautiful designs are
stamped upon the doorstep of
traditional Zoroastrian home each
morning.
Elaborate and complex designs are also
created with combinations of chalkholders or ‘stamps’ for auspicious
occasions, festivals, birthdays and
family events.
1.
Sudhreh and Kushti: Religious
Vestments (clothing)
Sudhreh (or Sadra) is the sacred Shirt and
Kushti (or Kusti) is the Sacred Thread
worn by Zarathostis after their Navjote
(Initiation into the Zoroastrian Faith).
Men usually wear a Sudreh with small
sleeves, while women’s sudreh is
smaller and cut into straps over the
shoulder for ease of use under both
eastern and western clothing styles.
Each morning a Zoroastrian bathes, dons a
fresh sudhreh and then prays a daily
prayer, during which he reties the sacred
thread. The centerpiece of his daily
devotion is “Jasa Me Avenghe Mazda” a
prayer where he reaffirms his faith as an
active follower of the Zoroastrian
Religion.
Traditional
Clothing
Traditional Head-gear
Topis are worn by children and men while in
prayer or in the Fire-temple.
Scarves are favored by women, as they can
take a variety of colors and patterns. An
alternative to wearing a scarf or topi, is
to use the ‘sohr’ of the saree (drawn
over the head) during religious events.
Traditional Parsee women frequently wore
“maathu-banu” or a scarf under their
saree or in the home. This practice
declined around the turn of the century
(1900s), but some elderly Parsee women
still preserve this tradition.
Traditional hats such as Pheta or Pagri are still
worn by Parsi men on important
occasions, but these are no longer
produced commercially, and are
therefore valuable heirlooms.
Parsi Ladies adopted the Sari –
and made it their own:
1. Traditional Garments: Garo, Kor and
Teeli Sarees
Ladies have always admired traditional
Parsee Sarees for their exquisite
embroidery. Examples displayed are:
·
Garo (A dark silk saree with white
embroidery which is often a family
heirloom passed from mother to daughter)
·
Kor-Sari and Kasab (silver)-kor
sarees (A richly embroidered border, often
created by hand, which is attached over the
entire length of the saree. These are also
heirlooms and no longer available
commercially)
Teeli-saree (A sequined lace sari, usually
in pastel colors but often in jewel tones as
well.)
Lagan ni Jori:
Bridal Clothing
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Bride: Displayed in large khumcha with
garland of white tube-roses and red roses
The Zoroastrian bride usually wears a white
lace saree, hand embroidered with delicate
sequin-work or silver thread.
The saree blouse may be plain white satin
or embroidered, and a variety of modern
styles may be chosen.
A white satin petticoat is worn under the
lace saree.
A white lace sudreh is worn under the
blouse, and over the waist of the saree to
display the delicate lace work.
New white shoes match the rest of the
ensemble.
An heirloom piece of jewelry or a new set is
often purchased for the occasion, or
presented by the grooms family.
A garland of white tube-roses and fragrant
red roses are placed around the bride’s neck
as the wedding ceremony begins.
A red wool shawl is placed in the shesh, but
is rarely used in practice these days.
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Groom
The Groom wears a white traditional
‘dugli’ or outer jacket which is fastened
at the neck and side with small bows or
white cloth fastenings.
A new white shirt and pair of trousers
accompany the formal dugli.
An heirloom pair of cuff-links or a new
watch is usually presented by the bride’s
family. It is likely that this is a tradition
from an era when a time-piece was a
rarity and therefore an auspicious gift.
The black pheta or pugri gives the groom
a distinguished and mature appearance.
For many Zoroastrian men, their
wedding is the only occasion when they
wear a pheta or pugri. Others wear it on
important festivals and family occasions
as well.
The groom is also welcomed into the
wedding ceremony with a garland of
white tube-roses and red roses.