Valli this info is for you, a little more on Pashmak

Chocolate
Saffron
Rose Valli, we are VERY lucky in Australia to have an extreme amount of diversity. We live in a MELTING POT here with so many nations being representing. Just in Melbourne where I live, you can find a mini Greece by going to Lonsdale Street in the heart of the city, or try Lygon Street in Carlton, as a little Italy, if you travel up Sydney Road in Brunswick, you will find all manner of Turkish and Middle Eastern shops and restaurants, over to Springvale Road, Springvale and you will find Asia is in it's own right being represented. As new waves of immigrants descended on our shores they find a pocket where they gather and make their own and that is what these place I mentioned represent. Their own little paradise where they could feel ,shop and eat like home. We are blessed to be able to share and learn from our fellow immigrants. When my poor mother arrived in Australia in 1971 she found no such luxuries to remind her of her beloved Europe. She learned to cope and go back to making everything she could by hand such as filo pastry and cooked milk and sugar until she had condensed milk etc. but of course of the course of time she was able to buy all these things in the local supermarket. Dad too did his bit, with fishing, hunting for rabbits and getting live chickens and cleaning all this in our little flat in Carlton so my mother felt at home. The vision of live eels and the one that got away, slithering through they hallway still frightens me, of course the headless chook in the hall is another story and another post!!

There is a whole world of foods that I have yet to discover with each new nation that arrives and I look forward to the education.

So Valli, you see you have NOT been living under a rock, because you have not heard of Iranian Fairy Floss, no, you just haven't been living in AUSTRALIA, so come on down!!!!

Pashmak is the name for Iranian Fairy Floss or Persian Fairy Floss. In an ancient city called Yazd in Iran they have made this floss for centuries. It is said to be pulled sugar and sesame oil and is made by hand. It can be bought through http://www.ashrafi.net/ over the net and you will see all the flavours they carry.

The flavours that I have seen are Pistachio (green), Saffron (yellow), Rose (pink), Vanilla (cream) and chocolate (brown) and their flavour is delicate. The Turkish one I bought had a Halva taste which makes sense as Halva too is made from sesame. Where they flavour them with alternatives, they use oils, such as Rose or Pistachio etc. As far as describing it (for Valli) and comparing it to ordinary fairy floss, I think I would say, ordinary fairy floss is best described dread locks whilst Pashmak is silken hair.

They are best used on dry desserts and obviously they will melt on contact with liquids quite quickly. They also need to be kept airtight. Once you open the packets you best be ready to use them up as they will turn limp and hard. The Turkish one had quite a bit in the box, the others are singularly packed by flavour and in a small bag, say a handful.

I think that is all I have to say.... V x x x x