The Quest for Barbari Bread

The Quest for Barbari Bread
by Sargord Pirouz
17-Dec-2010
 

I've been craving Barbari bread for years now. I've asked for it at every Persian food restaurant and market I've come across here in California. No success. So I started asking at Afghani restaurants. No success. Yesterday an Afghani restauranteur actually tried to describe Naan to me. I was insulted. (Hate it when my personal sense of Persian uppityness rises to the surface--my late Iranian dad's doing). Worse, I was disappointed. No Barbari bread. 

A couple of years ago on the internet I found an Afghan bakery that makes it. But it's an hour away from my location, in both directions. Don't know if it still exists or how good it is.

I started eating Barbari bread when I was a teenager in Tehran. My grandmother--bless her heart--would bring it home and I would smear it with Laughing Cow cheese before gobbling it down while still fresh. It was wonderful. Fond memories.

My quest continues...

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maziar 58

here & there

by maziar 58 on

I was checking some mehrnews.com

and it said Barbari in Tehran is selling each for 3100 Riyals (30 cents) hot from the tanoor.

and my local grocer here sells them for $ 2.99 from the freezer.

PS. when I was there it was  5 riyals.  

Marg bar jomhuri Islami & its supporters.          Maziar


Sargord Pirouz

lol w/Hoshang

by Sargord Pirouz on

Nearly 30 years ago I had a jovial Armenian roommate. They were good times. 

You do know the world's most famous Armenian-American is of Iranian descent, right? I'll give you a hint: he made his living swinging a racket. 


Hoshang Targol

Sar Tah 'jan' make sure when you go to the Armenian bakery

by Hoshang Targol on

to put on your Turkish army jacket, they really appreciate that, it should get you a very especial treatment, cheers


Arthimis

Darius khan, az daste'

by Arthimis on

Darius khan, az daste' shoma az khandeh mordam... LOL :D

Ishoon mesl inkeh to entekhabat gozashteh beh ghayr az "Saandis", " Noon Barbari" ham beheshoon dadeh shodeh va mazash zire' dandonesh rafteh... vali beechareh nemidooneh akhar sar che' cheezy be zire' dandoneh Ishoon va amsalesh mireh...LOL

Be omid Pirouzi Iranian raasteen bar ahreemanan! Azad baash ey Iran.


Sargord Pirouz

lol w/jonny

by Sargord Pirouz on

Well Jonny, for me it's as easy as looking in the mirror every morning.

alborz, that would actually make for a good ride down to SJ.  

I was thinking of taking up Faramarz's suggestion today after attending a community Yalda celebration, but it was a little too rainy. 

Looks like I'll be taking a couple of Barbari expeditions after Christmas. I'll let everyone now which one I liked best. 


Jonny Dollar

You are just trying hard to pretend you are an iranian! LOL

by Jonny Dollar on

good try! We are no fools! I edited: Now that i went back and read all the comments, I take it back! You fooled everyone! Your whole point of the blog was "when i was achild in tehran....." trying to make us believe that you really are related to an iranian! Sorry buddy, I for one whould never fall for this non-sense. You have your own agenda and you are no iranian (not even 10%).

I guess that's why I am Jonny Dollar! C'mon!

God is in your dell. Now, go ahead and find it! Good luck!


Anahid Hojjati

Good blog, Sargord

by Anahid Hojjati on

Barbari is the best.


Darius Kadivar

K Jaan Apparently Not ;0)

by Darius Kadivar on

That is being Too Optimistic I'm afraid ...

//iranian.com/main/blog/darius-kadivar/be...

LOL 


Khar

sargord...

by Khar on

does this mean you are going to stuff your mouth with Babari bread and stop being a laughing cow for IRI? if you promise that I'll supply the barbari for rest of your life! ;o)


alborz

Bijan Bakery on Saratoga Ave...

by alborz on

...makes fresh Barbary every day.

Enjoy,

Alborz


Sargord Pirouz

I really am grateful to all these fine suggestions, truly

by Sargord Pirouz on

Faramarz, as soon as it stops raining, I'll check out those stores. If Adel has Barbari, that's news to me. Good news. Merci, merci everyone.


maziar 58

Easy Barbari

by maziar 58 on

For lazy sargerd

just like DM said buy the frozen pizza dough from super markt leave it in the fridge or kitchen counter cover it with wet cloth for a while (1 hr)

sesame seeds and flour

spread flour on the counter(I also add corn flour) just roll the dough in the shape you like your Barbari to look like sprinkle the sesame put it in oven 375 -400 for 5 min check it out lower the temp for another 5 min some times I swith bake to broil  for 2 min to give it a crispy look and the BARBARI is ready .

Talk FOOD and all persian be your friend ,talk mambu jambu and you'll be .....            Maziar


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Hoshang

by Doctor mohandes on

Don't worry too much about this LAte fly! He likes the weezzz weeezzz all the time. Either  that or he is sniffing around, trying to find out who joined IC when and how and why and az in ghabil kara!

Sargord kapioghli

You can turn a pizza dough to a barbari as well. Check with Marhoom he willl tell you all about it.

Ya weez weez

Mir kharmagas e marhoom!


A.S.Mostafanejad

Barbari

by A.S.Mostafanejad on

Village Bakery in Davis and Saffron Market in Carmichael, also Yolo Produve on Hwy 80 before the Causeway. They are all fresh every day.


Anonymous Observer

I don't know about the barbari Mark

by Anonymous Observer on

but in your case, I know a great cheese that I'm sure you'll enjoy with the bread.  Here it is:

 https://www.karouncheese.com/images/products/130_tn330_IMPORT-kiri-cheese-wedges.jpg


Faramarz

Sargord

by Faramarz on

Try Rose Market (Dozd Market) in Mountain View or Adel in San Carlos. They both have Barbari and great Afghan bread. The trick is to toast the bread before you serve it.

Good to see that you have moved to CA. Sign up in a Farsi class and with a Persian girlfriend you could be saved! I still have faith in you despite your ...!


Sargord Pirouz

Achhey, MM

by Sargord Pirouz on

Thanks for the vid but I'm not a capable person in the kitchen. There are things I'm capable of but this is not one of them. Sad but true.

Yeah, Marhoum, a couple of markets I tried said the same thing about it being a Tehran thing but they were polite about it.


marhoum Kharmagas

Targol Tarragheh!

by marhoum Kharmagas on

You lost it again, with 'evolved' beings like you I rather stay where I am!

Targoli......., Barbari

 


Hoshang Targol

ای خر مگسی ،"ترگلی" جد و آبادته،یه کم دقت کن و بعد"فضله"پراکنی!

Hoshang Targol


مردک خر الاغ، من گفتم معادل "quivelant "  نون بربری، حمار. آخه تو کی میخواهی از "خر" مگس تکامل پیدا  کنی به انسان.
برو از MM یاد بگیر، نون خودتو درست کن و  مقدار زیادی سکوت پیشه کن ، که سکوت " سرشار از ناگفته ها"است، "خرک" مگسی!

MM

OK, then here is how to make barbari bread in your kitchen

by MM on

Here is a video

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohtsPLSuTPo

with Farsi, English and Scandanavian (?) subtitles on how to make barbari, and below, you will find the written recipie:   Barbari Bread (nan-e Barbari)

//www.recipelion.com/Middle-Eastern-Recipes/Barbari-Bread-Nan-e-Barbari#

Ingredients
  • 1 package dry yeast
  • 3 cups warm water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 1/2 cups flour or more
  • 4 Tbsp. oil or butter
  • 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
  • 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Instructions

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water. Add sugar and set aside for 10 minutes. Pour yeast mixture in large bowl or food processor, add 2 cups warm water, and salt--mix well. Gradually add flour while stirring constantly. After 6 cups flour have been added, knead by hand, add the rest of the flour if needed until the dough is not sticky. Pour oil in a large bowl and place dough in bowl. Cover with a clean damp towel and let rise 4 hours in warm dark place without moving. Punch air out while dough is in the bowl. Flip dough over and return to bowl. Cover with new damp towel and allow to rise 2 hours. Place cookie sheet in center of oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Divide dough into 11 parts, each piece about 5 inches in diameter. Dust a tray with corn meal and place loaves on tray. With damp hands, press fingertips into each loaf, then sprinkle tops with sesame seeds. Put loaves on the cookie sheet, corn meal side down, and bake sesame side for 8 miuntes in closed oven. Turn bread over and bake corn meal side down for 4 minutes in closed oven. Remove loaves from oven. Cover with clean towel, serve hot or wrap in foil and freeze(toast before serving.) Barbari bread is a flat 1 - 1 1/2 inch thick loaf. It may be round or oval shaped.


marhoum Kharmagas

Targoli che daanad az Barbari!

by marhoum Kharmagas on

"check out any Armenian bakery in your area, and there thou shall find your fresh baked equivalent of Brabri."

Targol has no clue in this area as well. American bakeries have things that only look like Barbari. Sargord, real Barbari only in Iran, and the best Barbari in Tehran,....., visit Iran, learn some Persian and eat lots of Barbari and Sangagk!

S0uri jaan, how about a few beits about Barbari?


Sargord Pirouz

MM

by Sargord Pirouz on

Have tried just about every Persian market in the area. None have it. But thanks for the suggestion.


Sargord Pirouz

Thanks Souri

by Sargord Pirouz on

But I'm in northern California. The closest place I could ever find was in Fremont (big Afghan expat community there--remember the movie Kite Runner?), which is a total of 2 hours driving time to get to and back.

BTW: Barbari bread was originally an Afghan bread that was later brought into Iran.    


MM

The freezer section of most

by MM on

The freezer section of most Iranian stores have frozen barbari that comes alive after toasting in the oven or cut-up in the toaster.


Souri

Sargord

by Souri on

We have Barbari bread here in Canada, but it is too far from you :)

I did a fast google search for you and found this link, but I'm sure you can find more address if you look around:

P Persian Food The
city nicknamed -Tehrangeles is home to the largest Iranian community
outside Iran. Emigrés have settled all over L.A.’s west side—a
significant percentage of the students at Beverly Hills High are of
Persian descent—but it’s in the cafés and kebab houses of Westwood
-Boulevard that the diaspora regroups. Elegant ladies and men in Bijan
bond over piping-hot
lavash bread and savoury gheymeh bademjan (eggplant stew) at Shamshiri Grill (1712 Westwood Blvd.; 1-310/474-1410; dinner for two
USD 44)
, while the younger set noshes on baguettes piled with salad olivieh (a -Persian childhood favourite of diced chicken, potato, egg, and pickles) at nearby Canary (1942 Westwood Blvd.; 1-310/470- 1312; sandwiches for two USD 16). On Fridays, -cockle-warming abgoost is the daily special at Attari (1388 Westwood Blvd.; 1-310/441-5488; USD 10.50): a bowl of hearty lamb, tomato, and bean soup accompanied by sprigs of tarragon and mint, raw onions and radish, warm barbari bread, and a tongue-tingling sour torshi
(minced pickle). Sprinkle in some Farsi gossip and a melancholy ballad
by Googoosh (the Persian Streisand) and any homesick exile would swear
she was back in Esfahan.

//www.travelandleisureindia.com/2010/11/19/food-lover%E2%80%99s-guide/

 

The good behavior of the people, warms our heart and make us thankful.....  And the bad ones, just make us to recognize and appreciate the good ones!


Sargord Pirouz

Great suggestions, thanks!

by Sargord Pirouz on

I didn't think of trying Armenian places. Once it stops raining, I'm heading there.

Don't know when the nest time I'll be in Orange County. You're lucky, the most beautiful girls in the world live there- and apparently they have Barbari bread, too! 


Sargord Pirouz

I haven't eatin' Mickey-D's

by Sargord Pirouz on

I haven't eatin' Mickey-D's in years. Passed one in my old hometown today while ridin' in the rain. I remember when they first introduced the Big Mac there in the 1960s. My Iranian dad was unimpressed by the use of thousand island like spread. Who knew it would still be around today- and served in a place like France for that matter!


Hoshang Targol

Looking for Barbari in all the wrong places!

by Hoshang Targol on

check out any Armenian bakery in your area, and there thou shall find your fresh baked equivalent of Brabri.

You do get on my bad side 99% of the time, but even you are  entitled to you Barbarie! And listen to some " Night Ark" while munching on that bread (with some Bulgarian Feta and greens), see how it works, cheers


Bus Shofer

Dash Sargord, they say eating too many Barbaries

by Bus Shofer on

makes one KKK (kheng, kodan, khereft). Having read your work around here, I can tell you have had one too many!

BTW1, Barbari with Khameh (NOT Khamenei, don't get excited!)) and  morabay'e Balang go awesome!

 

BTW2, I live in Orange County and know a place with excellent Barbari. If you want I can take you there!


Darius Kadivar

Mehmooneh Man !

by Darius Kadivar on

But No Hard Feelings My Invitation stands ...

Come to France and I can take you to our local MacDonalds with that Favorite Bread of Yours.