My most fondest childhood memory is sitting at my grandmother’s kitchen table in the morning for breakfast. We had the same breakfast routine every single morning before I left for school.
Maman Fakhri always had a nice cup of sweet Persian tea ready for me along with feta cheese and bread. For the most part the bread that we had was Lavash bread. There also always was some type of jam that she herself had made or purchased.
While we ate breakfast we always played a game using a newspaper that she laid out on the table. We each picked a word and shared it with each other, then each person had to find where the word was written in the two pages that were open in front of us.
Twenty five years later, I still fondly think of this special time that my grandmother and I spent together. Truth be told, no one since or before her made breakfast time so special for me. Some days I wonder if Maman Fakhri is the reason why breakfast is my most favorite meal of the day.
I still love having tea along with bread spread with feta cheese and some type of jam. My most favorite jams have always been quince, sour cherry, marmalade, and fig. This is such a heavenly combination of flavors. Quince jam is what you see in the picture above.
The combination of feta cheese, jam, and lavash bread served with Persian tea is the most simplistic traditional Iranian breakfast. Of course, either Barbari or Sangak breads are a delicious choice, especially when just fresh out of the oven!
There are many other delicious Persian breakfast combinations that I will gradually feature here. Noon-o Paneer-o Moraba –bread, cheese, and jam– is just the first one of many delicious recipes to come!
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for sharing this story and recipe. This brings back so many of my own memories. When I was a boy in Tehran, my great aunt and I used to walk down to the corner bakery every morning and get freshly baked, warm barbari bread. Walking back home, she and I could not help but to eat the corner pieces! After arriving at home; it was tea, fig jam, fresh barbari bread, feta cheese and mint leafs for breakfast. The school bell would ring shortly afterwards. I would put on my green and white checkered overcoat (the standard uniform) and rush off.
MMMMMMMMM. Feta & beh! Now I want some.
love the traditional Persian breakfast!
I never met my grandparents. I left Iran a long time ago, they put me on the plane and nobody made breakfast for me. I had hot porridge in my new country and forgot all about what I left behind., so that is my sweet memory of damn breakfast in Tehran.
These days my breakfast consist of black coffee, bitter contempt and a dash of scorn, sometimes I even grunt for no good reason.
I think I will title my autobiography ‘Breakfast in Tehran, read but don’t envy!’.
Breakfast is very important in our house, my kids loves it sooo much that even if they sleep late on weekend when they wake up they have to have breakfast even if it’s 2:00pm!!!:)
My Mom and grandmother used to make all kinds of jams and we always had different kind each day. But our favorite breakfast was always noon o panir o chayee shirin!
Thanks so so much for this – I may have to borrow the newspaper game! How about adding fresh walnuts; sweet conserves eg beh, marrow; and home made curdcheese too?
Thankyou!
O., what has made you so grumpy?
You will have to read the autobiography to find out,
“Not Without My Breakfast!”
When will you offer more classes in the LA area? Like in Whole Foods near Westwood?
Layla, I am working on it. I will post new dates as soon as they are set.
I look forward to reading more of your traditional breakfasts. We have one Persian shop in Glasgow but the bread isn’t too great. I wish there was more choice…
Alexis, I am planning on posting how to make traditional Persian breads at some point too! Stay tuned!!
My mother-in-law has lived with me for the past four months and I don’t think she has had anything else for breakfast other than feta and lavosh…with tea of course.
Can’t wait to see the traditional bread recipies!
I AM GETTING FAT JUST DREWLING IN THIS SITE. YUM
I live in Florida
I used to buy the lavash that has a picture of the Freedom Circle ( meidoone Azadi) on it until I came across Marcook bread. It is made in Caneda. We buy Marcook from an Arabic/Mediteranian store. It is awesome just like the thin lavash in my hometown of Nowsjahr. All the California Lavash are too thick.
I’m going to be attempting Noon’eh Barbari soon!!! so nervous!!