Authentic Gaz Recipe Isfahan, Iran

Sweet, chewy and brittle at the same time, studded with pistachios and scented with rosewater — that, in short, is gaz, a praised Iranian delicacy and a member of a large nougat family. Its name stems from a Persian word gaz-angebin which means sap of angebin. It was believed that the main ingredient in gaz, which gave it its recognizable stickiness and chewiness, was the sap of angebin — a kind of a wild tamarisk tree native to the Zagros Mountain near the Iranian city of Isfahan. However, it turned out that gaz-angebin is, in fact, an exudate of an insect called tamarisk manna scale, which inhabits that specific kind of tree. The females produce a sweet, sticky liquid which hardens when exposed to air and resembles a tree sap. This exotic ingredient is harvested from late summer to early autumn. Then, it is sieved, boiled, and strained, after which it is ready for use. Since it is quite rare and expensive, nowadays it is replaced with a combination ... Read more