Bita and Beata celebrate the 100th episode of the Modern Persian Food podcast by sharing their top most memorable moments since first launching the show in 2020. The co-hosts give a sneak peek of a stellar guest line up, modern recipes to come, as well as offer new ways to listen and learn including YouTube and live broadcast shows for more listener engagement. Stay tuned for 100 more!
Episodes referenced:
Episode 71: Medicinal Properties of Persian Spices with Dr. Mahtab Jafari
Episode 66: Persian Food with Stand Up Dan
Episode 64: Aash Reshteh – Modern Persian Food
Episode 63: Yalda – Modern Persian Food
Episode 4: Onions – Modern Persian Food
Episode 1: What Is Persian Food?
All Modern Persian Food podcast episodes can be found at: Episodes
Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food!
Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug – Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes
Subscribe+ to the Modern Persian Food podcast on your favorite podcast player, and tell a friend.
Podcast production by Alvarez Audio
Transcript:
The 100th Episode
This is Modern Persian Food. A culinary podcast for today’s food enthusiasts. We talk about classic
Persian flavors, modern recipes and embracing culture and identity through food.
I’m Bita! And I’m also Beata. Welcome to our show.
Hi, welcome to modern Persian food. Today’s a really special episode. It’s our 100th episode. Woohoo.
The Centennial. I’m here with my partner Beata Joon. Hi Beata Joon.
Hi there Bita Joon. Mobârake bāshé. Congratulations on this big milestone.
Congratulations, I’m so proud of us and I’m extremely grateful for all of you.
Thank you, of you too.
It’s been quite a journey. You the listener, you’ve allowed us into your ears, week after week. We’ve
put out 100 weekly episodes. And looking back, you know, we started at the start of a really crazy time
in our history. At the start of the pandemic and here we are. Still at it. We’ve had some collaborations
along the way, some chances to meet up in person and we’ve got so many exciting things to come.
Today we’re going to share with you some exciting things we have in the loop, along with some of our
most memorable moments along this journey.
We are super excited to have you all here and we are even more excited about the next 100 episodes
and looking into the future. So we just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you guys all the great
things that we have in store for you. We have had a great lineup of guests so far on the show. We’ve
had people like Maz Jobrani. We’ve had The Caspian Chef. We had Stand Up Dan and Nilou from
NilouWeddings. We have like an abundant list Tannaz Sassooni, Varta Melon. The list goes on and on.
So you should definitely take some time to check out any of those previous guests and get ready for
some really great guests coming on the show soon. So I am like super, super excited about a New York
Times bestselling cookbook author who is coming on the show. So we’re super psyched about that. I
had the pleasure of meeting him in person, so more to come on that. We also have a hilarious Persian
comedian coming on the show to talk to us and we are super psyched about that as well. And also we
have some special guests coming in, demystifying some of the ancient Persian remedies that we’ve
heard about and kind of like where food factors into like guide me and Saadi and also just some
special recipes and things like that so we’re going to hopefully pull in some great guests and share
them with you, talk with them, see what really gets them excited when it comes to Persian food and
we can’t wait to share those with you guys.
Absolutely. The guest roster is on point. So be sure to stay tuned. On that point, we will continue to
bring you recipes. How to make Persian dishes in your own home, easy, modern including respect to
the traditional methods. We are going to break down Ghormeh Sabzi. I think Beata and I shared in
one of our early recipes that that’s a particular dish that both these beets here, we haven’t really made
on the regular. So we’re going to be making that on the show with you and learning with you, how to
make iconic Ghormeh Sabzi?
Yes, a definite Persian classic, my mouth’s watering just thinking about the limu omani, the sour
lemons that are going to be in there.
We’re going to keep going with Ask the Beats and we are also going to spread the love on some new
platforms. We’re going to be on YouTube as well. YouTube, as you know is a video platform, so we’re
going to have some fun videos that you can check out on our new YouTube channel and learn a little
bit about Bita and myself. And we’re going to have some fun recipes on there as well. And also we’re
going to look into having live recordings as well so you can really make those Ask the Beats really live
and personal. So we’re looking forward to that as a lot of new platforms out there so we’re hoping to
share with more listeners. You’re going to be able to dial right in and ask us a question live. We’re also
building out our e-mail list, so be sure to sign up for that if you haven’t already. And we’re going to
have more intimate communication with you and feel free to ever, like, respond to those emails or
also just reach out to us over e-mail or over Instagram to ask us your questions. So we’re looking into
all these new platforms and super excited to share them with you.
We also wanted to take the opportunity to just say thank you to everyone and also share the
connection that we’ve made with our listeners and with people in the Community and also being on
the same page as people who like maybe don’t have a strong connection to their Persian roots or
they’re just interested in learning more about Persian cuisine and culture, so thank you all for being
part of that journey with us, and we look forward to having more connections and building
relationships with you.
Thank you. So let’s jump right into it. Thank you again. Today we’re going to share some of our most
memorable moments. Beata Joon, is there something that comes to mind as you’re listing off some of
our memorable moments from the last one?
In all transparency, we were having some conversations about how we want to position the 100th
episode. Because you know, it has definitely been a journey. As Bita Joon has said, we started this out
in the beginning of the pandemic without really knowing one, we didn’t even know each other very
well at that point, we were kind of both out, kind of like taking a little bit of a of a risk, you know of
the investment of time and money and dedication, and we were like, shall we do this? And it was just
such a great. We were just, like, took off on this. So when we were talking about what we want to do
in this episode, it was like let’s showcase the highlights and some of those special moments that we’ve
collected in our minds and our hearts throughout this time, throughout these past two years that
we’ve built this episode, we’ve had an episode every single week. I think that’s like super special. So I
would say that one of my most special favorite moments is actually you Bita Joon for really giving me
the confidence to be able to like, let’s do this and also being up for it and like you know together I
think that we kind of supported each other in a way that was like OK, we can do it and like you were
gung ho for like stuff that I came up with and then you came up with stuff and then I became gung ho
for it, so it was like boosting each other’s confidence and being able to be like, hey, we can do this.
Even though the world around us might be falling apart completely, you know, as this pandemic took
multiple stages throughout this time, but I would say that one of my very social moments is being
with you Bita Joon.
I love that, that just touched me right straight through the cord of my heart, sending kisses that’s so
good. I’m so glad that I inspired you and gave you confidence and I hope that all of you listeners have
gotten some of that energy as well as our true, true hope. I think is what satisfies us the most, but to
go to my list and mine is kind of like episode specific. So episode 71, if you’ve been listening along,
that was our episode that was called the medicinal properties of Persian spices with Doctor Matab
Jafari. Yes, you know, that kind of connected all the dots for me personally because you know my
health coach by day and my father was a surgeon and a doctor that was passionate about healthy
eating and it just kind of tied everything together when we had Doctor Matthew Jafari, a well-
respected scientist and doctor and professor. There was one particular thing that I will never forget,
and this is the episode I listen to the most number of times and tell people about the most number of
times to listen to when I’m talking about our podcast, was when Doctor Matt Tub Joon said that,
saffron is being tested in Iran in labs and there is starting to be evidence that saffron is basically an
anti-anxiety and antidepressive, very similar to Prozac and a mood lifter. I’m like, oh my gosh, that all
makes sense. No wonder we’re all so happy when we’re eating rice and tahdig, all these yummy
flavors, I totally get it. And I’m going to play this little bit for you Beata Joon are you ready to hear it?
Yeah.
“When it comes to other medicinal properties of saffron, such as its impact on our mood and making
us happy, working as an anti-anxiety or anti depressive spice, we do have some clinical data. If you
look at the clinical studies, they were all done in Iran. And a study recently looked at all these studies,
all eight of them, that look at patients with depression, and they even compare Saffron to drugs like
Prozac, fluoxetine, or imipramine. And they showed that Saffron at the right dose works as well as
these drugs. So are we going to now jump up and down and start taking lots of Saffron? I can’t even
make a comment on that because these studies are very small, but they’re very promising.”
Amazing! And it just blows my mind every time I hear that.
Yeah, I mean that makes total sense and that was actually such a great interview and a great guest
that we had. I remember from that episode that Rose that makes you like happy and like live longer.
So every time I kind of go to the market and I see flowers, it’s like another excuse to buy them for
myself is, you know, they’re gonna make me happy and live longer so, can’t lose with that.
Right, and the Rose water, the Rose petals we use in Persian food and the old ladies that pull out their
vial and sniff it at funerals. I think she said it was oil.
Uh yeah, rose.
Uh-huh. Yeah, and they sniff it just to like, feel better.
Yes, yeah. And calm down. That’s so beautiful.
Calm down. Pull themselves together. I remember after that, I went looking for a rose scented
perfume. I’m like, I just want to be around it all the time.
Yeah, absolutely.
And timely too, right. Who else wants a natural mood lifter in these times, I mean it was just like
perfect.
Yeah, absolutely. So one of my favorites, we’re going way back here is episode #4 about onions.
Let’s pick this one.
You know, we’re four episodes in. We were trying to, like, record a few, like we were like, right about
to launch. We like kind of recorded that right as our part of our launch program. And I was just so
stoked. I was so excited. We’re going to have an episode on Onions and it’s like what? Onions! Like
you’re gonna have a whole episode on that and I just love it. To me it’s like one of the most perfect
episodes. We talk about onions and that we are just so passionate I think that like, you know, when
we’re talking about it, like in that episode, I talk about the smell of piaz dagh. When I was a kid
growing up like you would wake up in the morning and you smell piaz dagh in the house. OK, they
were like either having a party or like people are coming over cause like moms up early and, like
making piaz dagh. The fried onions, which is like the foundation of every Persian Dish. So like we talk
about things like that, we talk about, you know, my cousin has a Joojeh Kabab recipe that has onions
in it. So like we just break down onion, we talk about it raw. We talk about it cooked. We talk about it
in a marinade. We just talk about this simple ingredient in so many ways and the role that it plays in
Persian food and at that point, I’m like, yeah, if we can pull off an episode just on onions, we’re set.
And I love it. And if you guys haven’t listened to that one go way back, we’re like such newbies in
there. But like it’s so great to hear. And that’s like one of my favorite episodes. So I wanted to just
include that in my top five.
I almost picked it too, great choice. I know I remember it perfectly, because I was like, uh really?
We’re gonna have enough to say? Like talk about onions? And then remember that after it aired and
we looked at the analytics, it’s like, wow, people really wanted to listen to that!
Yeah. Awesome. That was a good one.
It was so good.
OK. Your turn.
Well, next on my list. This subject, I think, is one of the reasons, and one of the things that really
energizes us and I’m speaking for both of us here is when we hear of you listeners getting inspired
and trying something that you maybe otherwise wouldn’t have tried because you heard us talking
about it or saw something on Instagram. And so, you know, we don’t get a ton of these type of emails
and messages, but when we do, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me feel because it’s like, wow
there’s a real person out there who’s really making this food, or if it’s a connection that’s being made
with a relative through conversation about something that they heard, this is what it’s about. Like, I
love that. So this special moment comes from a listener that we have in Michigan who pours out the
love and e-mail to us about all the things that he’s been creating and cooking at home. And listen, this
is the best part. No connection to Iran. He’s not Persian. He’s not an immigrant. His parents are not.
He’s not married to one. Just, started listening to us. Has an interest in, you know, other cultures. And
we have heard that this particular listener has made Fesenjān, Adas Polo, Gheymeh, Khoresh
Gheymeh, which is his nowpersonal favorite, what! So and he sends us pictures and it’s amazing.
Yeah, that is such a great moment. And I do have to say that when we hear from listeners who have
been inspired and influenced by the podcast to learn more about their culture and to have a little bit
more of a connection to their culture or to their family. It’s just so inspiring for us that we can be
conduits to make that happen. You know people will tell us, oh yeah it made me have this
conversation with my grandma about like limu omani or about this specific ingredient or we had a
debate about like what ingredient is authentic versus not authentic. Like just makes me want to stop
in my tracks because it 2as like, wow, that is so cool that you know. Food can bring us together, and
that food can help us build such a connection to each other, to our family, and really to ourselves.
Allowing yourself to feel connected, to like, embrace all those things. And I’m really proud of us for
being able to be conduits of that.
And it’s becoming a tight community here. Really nice.
My next favorite moment, kind of monumental moment for me in our journey is going to go to
episode #64 about Aash Reshteh. Yes, if you been listening, you know that like I love Aash Reshteh. I
love the classic traditional recipe. I love the fast and easy shortcut, bastardized recipe. I love Aash
Reshteh. It’s like one of my favorite things. Not only my favorite foods, but like one of my favorite
things. It makes me very happy. And I really wanted to share my own personal tradition of making
Aash Reshteh on New Year’s Day, American New Year’s Day. I make it every year, and I usually have
an open house that day and people can come over hungover, people can come over, whoever wants to
stop by, have a bowl of soup and with the intention of., you’re going to have a good year. This year,
like we don’t need to have New Year’s resolutions, we don’t need to whatever, you can do that, I like
to do that, but you don’t have to do that. But let’s just have this delicious hearty soup and embrace the
New year to come. And I was having a hard time kind of figuring out my wording on it, but I just
wanted to share with you the introduction of that episode. I kept getting tongue tied on it a little bit,
but I just was so passionate about sharing this with everyone. I just really wanted to convey it, so I’m
going to play this for you so that you can hear what I’m talking about.
“We’d love to share with you how to make delicious Aash Reshteh. And the reason why we’re talking
about Aash Reshteh now is we are leading up to New Year’s Day, January 1st and it is one of my
favorite times to make this iconic person soup as it blends Persian and American traditions for me and
in my family, and I wanted to share that with you guys today and hopefully you guys can join me
every year with this tradition and make it into your own home.”
I think that was like a really kind of pivotal time in the journey for me. You know, I’ve talked about
the stuff that I do, but I just really wanted everyone to kind of join me and do this together. So I think
that was like a special time for me.
Thanks for sharing. Yeah, such a great tie in because so much in Persian culture has symbolism and
even dishes have symbolism, and to take a dish that we have in Persian New Year, which is on the
first day of spring for renewal and hope and love and longevity of life with the long noodles, and to
bring that into our new year is so cool and I love that tradition that you have and the fact that you
shared it with all of us.
Yeah and just for everyone who’s listening, who doesn’t know what Aash Reshteh is, Aash Reshteh is
this hearty soup with a ton of greens, a ton of chopped and fried herbs in it a bunch of different kinds
of beans in it typically has, like garbanzo beans and a white bean and red bean or kidney bean. I like to
mix and match the beans a little bit. Fried onions and it’s garnished with sometimes cash, which is
like a yogurt byproduct or fried mint and fried onions. And it is like a super delicious, hearty,
nutritious soup that we have at the beginning of Persian New Year and also a regular new year just
throughout the year, is one of my favorites.
I love Aash Reshteh, thank you for sharing. OK, so my next most memorable is an episode that I think
is highly entertaining and that is episode #66 with Stand Up Dan.
Yes, you are right, that is a good one.
Oh yeah, I mean I was smiling and laughing most of that episode. It was such great fun and thinking
back I didn’t know who he was. You introduced me to him and then I started following him. And at
that time he was doing a show, and it was called Raid the Fridge, and I became full on fangirl. I was
like cheering him on.
Yeah, and on the Food Network, which is huge.
Big, right? So I think part of why this episode is so great is that he is a foodie. He knows food, and he
really knows Persian food on top of it, he’s a comedian.
Right.
So, he’s like the perfect guest and he had something that I had never heard of before. And that is a
Garagharoot!
Garagharoot. That was so funny.
Oh my gosh. I had never heard of this thing. He called it bovine lava shack and I was just like barfing
in my mouth thinking about, what the heck is that? Lava shack is typically like, basically most similar
to a fruit roll up maybe? Fruit leather, a snack.
A fruit leather.
But it’s apparently, he was describing it being made out of, like a yogurt, milk or goat milk or. Yeah,
there’s this one particular part when he says it, it just cracks me up the way he says it. I’m gonna play
it. Yeah, OK.
“Garagharoot.“
Oh my God.
Garagharoot. Garagharoot.
“Garagharoot.“
He says it in his throat.
That is so funny, yeah.
He got it. I was like, it’s gargling. He’s like, Garagharoot.
“Garagharoot.”
I mean, some people are very passionate about Garagharoot and I think that there’s different like
quality and taste when it comes to it. But yeah, it’s super sour and they kind of cut up your tongue a
little bit when you have too much of it, but that was hilarious.
I know some people love it, yeah so no offense, some people love it.
Yeah, absolutely.
When I saw it in the store, we have Persian markets all over the place in California. We’re really lucky
that way. I bought it after that episode. And I tried it. My husband was too afraid. I tried it and I can
say, it was the worst thing I ever put in my mouth.
It’s one of those acquired tastes, of course.
So he was not wrong.
And when he refers to that Aasheh Sholeh Ghalamkhar , as the ugly step sister of Aash Reshteh, it was
hilarious. He is super funny. So definitely check out that episode for anyone who hasn’t. Heard it yet.
66.
OK, good one. My next one is actually #63 about Shabe Yalda and I have to say that that episode is one
of my all time favorite episodes for like a few reasons. First of all, I just love deep diving into like these
old Persian festivals and events. In that episode, we talk about Shabe Yalda, but we talk about other
event like Nowruz or Mehregan, or recently we talked about Tirgan, which are like these ancient
Persian festivals. You know, as we are, like always like looking for an excuse to celebrate and to be
intentional. So those other episodes are really great too. But the Yalda one specifically is one of my
favorites because of a few reasons. One of them is that at the end of that episode, we actually recite
poetry, you recite poetry, and then I have a Audio clip, it’s actually a video clip that we transferred
over that we’re just using the audio for of my Dad, who has passed away and he’s reciting from
memory a beautiful poem by Salak. And then what I do is I translated part of that poem afterwards. So
we end the episode with that, and that is one of my favorites, like I spent a ton of time actually finding
that poem because I couldn’t, I didn’t know who the poet was, there was no translation available? So I
actually found it, like I posted it up on like a forum on like Reddit actually, and just like asked people
like if anyone like, heard of this poem, it has these lines in it and stuff. And someone got back to me
and then I found it. And then I like basically sat and like translated it. But the thing about Persian
poetry and the Persian Language is that it’s not like a direct translation. There’s so much passion and
emotion in every phrase or every prose that you can’t just say like the direct translation. So I really
had to kind of factor that in. So at the beginning of that conversation, I talked about how like I didn’t
have this strong memory of Shabe Yalda growing up, that it wasn’t something that like, we celebrated
all the time or maybe I just didn’t recognize it. Or didn’t realize it. And what made me aware of it was
this song by Leila Fourohar, who did it. So I just wanted to just play a little bit of that song from that
episode, just as a little bit of a like, a homage to Shabe Yalda and being Persian and all these really
great, awesome ancient Persian celebrations.
So that was one of my favorites.
Yeah, that was a very special episode for so many reasons. So lovely, beautiful, meaningful. And I
think it’s one of those episodes where, you know, not necessarily everybody knew about that special
day and myself included. I had heard of it, but it kind of sparked conversations with family members
and my mom and some other distant relatives that I wouldn’t have had before, and I do love the add-
ins and the music and your father reciting poetry and you and I doing it was a really great one. Thank
you for bringing that one up.
Yeah, absolutely.
It’s my turn to get mushy. My next one on the list. I was remembering the very first time I met you in
person, so again thinking back to the start of this, as you mentioned at the beginning of this recording,
when we first met, we didn’t really know each other that well. It was somewhat of a risk in terms of
starting a big partnership with someone.
Yeah.
And we met in the Golden Gate Park. And I just remember thinking like, oh my gosh, she’s a really
cool chick.
Awww
Great energy, like a lot of energy, and I think like we had even more in common, we found out that we
both, you know, ran in high school and we basically like did some good laps around the Golden Gate
Park. I had such a nice tour and we just walked and talked, and saw beautiful botanical gardens in San
Francisco, and it was just. It kind of for me solidified that, ok yeah. Like yeah, this is it. And it was
really early and we had masks on. We took a distance photo together with our masks on. But it was
just-
Right.
It was a really fun day. And I had great memories of that. And we’ve been fortunate enough to get to
have a handful of other occasions where we’ve gotten to see each other live and in person. And even
do a 24 hours together so it was a good day.
Yeah, that was a great day. We still record virtually from two different locations, but we get to see
each other’s beautiful faces while we record on the screen and we have like a you know, our great
conversations this way, but yeah, it was the first time seeing each other person. We were like, wait, do
like, do we hug like? Do we not hug? Like you know it was kind of before they were like real big mask
mandate. So you know, I think I had like a handkerchief or something like wrapped around my face or
something and we were walking and we walked through all through Golden Gate park. And like, there
wasn’t a lot of people out and stuff, so we kind of had it all to ourselves. All the like museums and
stuff were closed so, it was just like an interesting like perspective and just nice to be outside and
great to just get to know each other better. So yes, that was a very special day. Thank you for sharing.
Definitely.
Wait, so does this come to my number one, my number one most favorable moment? Oh my
goodness.
Jeff put in a drum roll.
I’m going way back. I’m going way back.
Way back like, we’re what, three years of working together, two years of broadcasting.
We are 100 episodes in.
We are 100.
And I’m going all the way back to episode one, What is Persian Food. We’re like, okay, let’s start it off.
people don’t know what Persian food is, let’s tell them people want to connect to their roots, let’s
connect with them. Let’s bring along everyone in this journey and what I want to play for you is our
very first few lines that we’ve distributed out to the world, and I want to share that with you right
now.
“What is Persian food?
Yay.
I don’t know about you Beata but I would just love to see Persian food wherever you’re coming from,
if you’re new to it, or if you grew up eating it, I would love to have our podcast encourage and
motivate you to put it into your regular rotation on a weekly basis.
Yeah, absolutely. It’s like delicious. And not be afraid. It can be so intimidating for some people, even
for us like, who grew up in Persian families, and who have, like, had the flavors all throughout our
lives. It can be pretty intimidating to be like, how do I get that same flavor into other foods or into my
menu and my meal plans for my family and for myself and like, how to do it.”
So I wanted to just go back to the very beginning and just recognize that those pillars that we set up as
our inspiration and the basis and foundation of the whole podcast, those are all still chiming strong.
Strong through our podcast, us our personalities, our relationship, our own personal food brands, and
our passion to share that with other people.
Oh, good idea. Thank you for doing that.
So that was my number.
Good one. Yeah, my last, #1, my moment. Are you ready for it?
Yes.
It’s very kind of Buddha of me.
Please.
It’s right now, it’s this moment. It’s this moment.
Yay. Aww
Yeah, this is my best moment. I’m just so proud of us. Yeah, looking back has been fun. We’ve got
super exciting things in the future and I’m just so happy to be here. We did it. Every week, it took
commitment. It took hard work. And I mean, little kids Beata Joon. Good job, little kids. Still school,
stuck at home, no childcare.
Thank you.
I mean, pulling this off.
Oh my God, it’s been a journey.
And me, I was juggling a lot of things and ironically, I will share.
Yeah.
I got laid off. Like Today I’m laid off, right now in 20 minutes. And so I actually I, I went through some
sadness and some all sorts of emotions. But right now I’m actually like in a good place, and I’m so
excited and it’s one of those things that they say that like you know, you take that thing and I’m not a
victim. Like I’m making my own story. We’re doing this thing and now I could put more of my energy
and more of my focus into this and we’re so happy you’ve ridden this journey with us.
That’s right.
More good things to come.
Yeah awesome. So, congratulations Bita Joon, and thank you to all our listeners. This has been a really
great journey and just a few quick notes. Like if you guys like the podcast, not only can you like let us
know, but would you please scroll in your little podcast app wherever you’re listening to it and just
give us a rating and maybe give us a review and help everyone become more aware of our podcast
Modern Persian Food. If you want to sign up for our mailing list, we are super excited to just share
kind of more intimate information via that channel and also, just tell a friend, like if you have other
person friends or you have anyone who’s kind of interested in Persian food, this is a great way to kind
of introduce them to the delicious flavors of fresh ingredients and how they can incorporate Persian
flavors into their lives, and hopefully you guys can all enjoy it together.
Cheers. Good job.
OK. Thank you, everybody. Bye bye.
Bye.
You’ve been listening to Modern Persian Food podcast with Bita and Beata. Thanks for spending time
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