Here with a Loaf of Bread Beneath the Bough
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse – and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness –
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.      Omar Khayyam

How fitting that one of the most quoted writings by 11th century Iranian poet, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer  Omar Khayyam starts with the subject of today’s post: the staff of life.

It is curious that the translation mentions a loaf of bread, since all the bread we ate was flat…thinking it’s a Western misinterpretation. Nonetheless, the bread was a highlight – especially when fresh from the oven as it was at Shater Abbas, a traditional restaurant in Shiraz.

Here is a short video to see how it’s done.

This is the third in a series about my recent twelve days in Iran. See also Tehran | First Impressions and Iran | A Little Farsi Goes a Long Way.