To start, a note on terminology: although bastani translates to ice cream in Farsi, many Tehran natives refer to it as akbar mashti, the name of one of the first men to serve the treat in Iran back in the day. What is it that makes bastani, Persian ice cream, so great? This is a look at how a quintessential Iranian dish has not only shaped the childhood of an entire nation but has found its way to the center of an American city’s gastronomical culture despite staggering cultural differences among the two nations. It is also no surprise that a sort of rivalry has arisen between the two businesses: half-hour away from each other, they cater to the same crowds, are masters at their craft, and each boast an origin story that adds that much more value to their already exotic products.īut this isn’t a story about industry rivalries, a battle of the ice creams on paper. home, it is no surprise that the two families helming the stores chose the California city as their home base. Given the large Persian population that calls L.A. And when it comes to akbar mashti, traditional Persian ice cream, the feat becomes nearly impossible.Įnter Saffron & Rose and Mashti Malone’s Ice Cream, two specialty shops that brought the treat to Los Angeles. Although he gets to devour khoresht, tadeegh, and ghabalee-quintessential Persian foods made with ingredients easily found in specialty stores-authentic, perfectly prepared Iranian desserts are much more difficult to find. Much of that love and devotion is connected to the foods he ate growing up. Immigrating to America in the mid-1970s in an effort to fulfill his American dream and avoid being persecuted for being Jewish-a notion that became a reality during the 1979 Iranian revolution-my brother-in-law still holds his country of origin dear, often reminiscing about the culture that has shaped his current outlook on life.
Why, then, purchase the tool? “To make akbar mashti, of course!” my husband said after I doubted his brother’s latest expenditure. Although he might be the human version of Bob the Builder and incredibly well-versed in just about any task he sets his mind to, my brother-in-law is no chef or ice cream maker. A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law purchased an ice cream machine on sale.