Summary
Koloocheh or Kleicha (Persian: کلوچه), also known as Persian New Year Bread,[1] is an Iranian stamped cookie or bread.[2] There are many variations on the recipe (bready-texture vs. crispy; and stuffed vs. unstuffed) which spans from the Arabian Peninsula to various diaspora communities including in Eastern Europe,[3] and North America.
 Masghati (left) and Koloocheh (right) | |
| Type | Cookie |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  Iran |
About edit
Typically koloocheh are cookies filled with dates and walnuts, but can be stuffed with grated coconut and additionally spiced with saffron, rose water, cardamom, cinnamon, or citrus zest.[3][4] The recipe for Caspian cuisine-style bready koloocheh cookie can be made vegan by replacing butter with coconut oil.[5]
It is a recipe made by Persian Jews during the holiday Purim; by Christians during Easter; and Muslims during Ramadan.[3] For Norooz (English: Persian New Year), Iranians will make a koloocheh bread.[1] Koloocheh cookies from Southern Iran are brittle biscuits that principally consists of water, sugar, wheat flour and egg white.
- Koloocheh
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Traditional cookie making in Punel village -
Renowned thin Koloocheh from Fuman, Iran prior to cooking
Etymology edit
From Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (kwlʾck' /kulāčag/, “small, round bun”)[6]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b Hertzberg, M.D, Jeff; François, Zoë (2018-11-06). Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Sweet and Decadent Baking for Every Occasion. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4668-8977-4.
- ^ Raminrad, Samin (2020-06-21). "Koloocheh Recipe". UNIQOP Online Persian Grocery. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
- ^ a b c Shafia, Louisa (2013-04-16). The New Persian Kitchen. Ten Speed Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-60774-357-6.
- ^ "3 Most Popular Iranian Cookies". Taste Atlas. January 13, 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ Khan, Yasmin (2016-07-14). The Saffron Tales: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-4088-6874-4.
- ^ Mackenzie, D. N. (2014). A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary. p. 52. doi:10.4324/9780203462515. ISBN 9781136613968.