Iradi Food Home

The pot at sunrise. We found the walnut. Not me.

It is Nauryz and I did not sleep. Every year the women of our street cook sümölök, a sweet wheat paste, for the whole night. It is only wheat sprouts, flour and water, and a lot of stirring. We put stones (or walnuts) in the cauldron to keep it from burning, and each woman stirs for an hour, with the long wooden spoon, and tells a story. At midnight the old women sing.

By the sunrise it is dark brown and sweet, no sugar needed, the wheat gives it. Who finds a stone or walnut in her plate will have luck this year. I found the walnut at four in the morning in the cauldron, but it doesn't count, it is not in my plate :)

For a small cauldron (we make 5 times this): 1 kg wheat sprouts (green wheat, 4 days in a wet cloth), 2 kg flour, 6 litres water, 1 cup oil, 6 walnuts.