Cookie in Gilan Selling eggs at local market

Gilan civilization is known as the Egg Civilization by some Iranologists. The fact that there were surplus eggs in every home made the Gilaki people (Gilaks) think about how to make the most use of this product, insofar as they used eggs in bridge construction to be even more solid.
From a long time ago, Gilaki cooks have tried to use more eggs in food and have always had an idea of baking eggs in a cake or cookie in order to extend durability.
Due to high humidity, in the past there was impossible to build an earth and wall oven. Today, however, by emerging technological advances, and also the importation of wheat flour and spices into Gilan, Gilakis became able to learn making nut and spice cookies – especially with extra walnuts.

Gazrobar, the clay bridge which eggs used in its construction

Modern Iran is the origin of cookies in the world; the paste is usually made up of oil, eggs, flour and sugar filled with spices and nuts. Cookies in baking chamber turned into a long-lasting food that would be served as a snack or dainty dessert while sipping tea or coffee.
Nowadays, Gilan has learned the technique of baking cookies a bit later than other parts of Iran. However, these people quickly developed it into a variety of flavors and ingredients adjusting to their cosmopolitan tastes.
The best areas for producing these new cookies have been between Fuman and Sowme’eh Sara, in the west of Rasht, and Lahijan, in the east of Rasht.

These areas with good access to wood resources are located in the foothills which keep them safe from high moisture of the plain and provide them with ample supplies of eggs because of having numerous farming villages.

Perhaps Sowme’eh Sara’s traditional cookie is not as famous as Lahijan and Fuman’s, but being unknown made it a great opportunity for not getting industrial and also help them to keep their unique legacy of taste and baking.

Today, in spite of being near Fuman, the masters of Sowme’eh Sara have developed their own techniques of cooking and passed down the mystery of the traditional recipe from one generation to the next.
Although many of the traditional recipes in Gilan have been outdated and unfortunately forgotten, Ashhadi Pastry is trying to recreate the ancient methods of pastry and culinary art in Gilan by applying modern techniques.