The Role of Food in Persian Weddings with Special Guest Nilou Nouri

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Episode #20, co-hosts Bita and Beata welcome their first special guest, Nilou Nouri, an award-winning wedding officiant and more recently, cookbook author.  Together the trio uncover some of the unique aspects of Persian weddings, including how food plays into them.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Defining Factors of Persian weddings:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Elegant, formal, full of energy, super fun celebration of union and life</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">“Sofreh aghd” - a meaningful spread of symbolic items representing the celebration of love and best wishes for the couple's future</span></li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Eggs, symbolizing fertility</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Fresh fruits representing abundance and growth</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Honey to bring sweetness (honey ceremony - feeding honey to each other, again to bring more sweetness; in some regions/Shiraz, feeding yogurt to each other, bringing a light and bright destiny</span></li> </ul> </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Poetry, celebration of love, nature, beauty, abundance, hope and best wishes</span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beata and Bita share about their own weddings:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Blending of Persian culture and western wedding norms such as having bridesmaids (both Bita and Beata had bridesmaids and both had sofreh aghds)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The sugar ceremony - grinding large, hard sugar cones