سال نو مبارک

Happy 2015! If you’re looking for the appropriate Persian greeting for the occasion, this post should help!

Persian Word a Day

Sorry for the break in posting! Visiting family and a nasty cold will do that to you.

Iranians celebrate up to three “New Years”: the Islamic New Year, the Gregorian New Year, and Nawruz or Nowruz, the traditional Iranian New Year going back to pre-Islamic times, and is probably the most celebrated Iranian holiday although it lacks the religious significance of Islamic and specifically Shi’ite holy days. It is celebrated at the March equinox, i.e., the first day of spring, so usually on or about March 21st on the Gregorian calendar.

Nowruz is immensely important and we’ll talk about it at the appropriate time, but there’s really no reason to spend time on it today. Today we want to say something about the Gregorian New Year, which in Persian would be سالِ نَو (sāl-i naw).

“Happy New Year” will be سالِ نَو مُبارَک (sāl-i naw mubārak

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Vegetables: سبزیجان

Back to food, let’s get healthy and talk vegetables.

Have I missed your favorite? Leave it in comments and I’ll add it!

“Vegetables” is سَبزیجان (sabzījān), singular سَبزی (sabzī), which comes from the word سبز, “green.”

• artichoke: کنگر فَرَنگی (kangar farangī) or انگِنار (inginār)
• asparagus: مارچوبه (mārchūbah)
• avocado: آوُکادو (āvukādū)
• beets: چُغُندُر (chughundur)
• broccoli: بروكلی (brūkulī)
• cabbage: کَلَم (kalam)
• carrot: هاوچ (hāvuch)
• cauliflower: گُل کَلَم (gul kalam, “cabbage flower”)
• celery: کَرَفس (karafs)
• chicory (catchall for things like endive and radicchio): کاسَنی (kāsanī)
• cucumber: خیار (khiyār)
• eggplant: بادَمجان (bādamjān)
• garlic: سیر (sīr)
• kale: کَلَم پیچ (kalam pīch, “twisty cabbage”)
• leeks: تَره فَرَنگی (tarah farangī)
• lettuce: کاهو (kāhū)
• mushroom: قارچ (qārch)
• okra: بامیه (bāmīyah)
  
• onion: پِیاز (piyāz)
• parsnip: هاوچ وَحشی (hāvuch waḥshī, “wild carrot”)
  
• peas: نُخود فَرَنگی (nukhūd farangī)
• pepper (red, green): فِلفِل (filfil)
  
  • green pepper: فلفل سَبز (filfil sabz)
  • red pepper: فلفل قِرمِز (filfil qirmiz)
  • yellow pepper: فلفل زَرد (filfil zard)
• potato: سیب زَمینی (sīb zamīnī, literally “ground apple,” a calque on the French pomme de terre)
  
• pumpkin: کَدو تَنبَل (kadū tanbal, pronounced “ka-doo-tam-bal” and meaning literally “lazy gourd”)
• radish: تُرُبچه (turubchah)
• spinach: اسفِناج (isfināj)
• string beans: لوبیا (lūbiyā)
• squash: کَدو (kadū, also “gourd”) or اسکواش (iskwash)
• sweet potato/yam: سیب زَمینی شیرین (sīb zamīnī-yi shīrīn)
• tomato: گوجه فَرَنگی (gūjah farangī, literally “Frankish/European plum”)
• turnip: شَلغَم (shalgham)
• zucchini: کَدو سَبز (kadū sabz, “green squash”)