Ultimate Persian Gift Guide

This is the ultimate Persian gift guide! It was carefully curated to inspire gift ideas for the holidays, birthdays, hostess gifts or just to surprise a friend and make someone's day. Besides containing unique gift ideas, there is a focus on small businesses, which need support now more than ever. Hopefully you find it useful and can share it with a friend who would also enjoy it.

 

Persian Treats

Niloofar Mix

Niloofar Persian Trail Mix is the finest quality nuts, berries and figs lovingly sorted so that only the best pieces make it into the bag. Niloofar also offers several varieties of tasty flavored almonds. These are great gifts for just about anyone - stocking stuffers, as a hostess gift or any occasion worth celebrating!

 

Vartamelon Sampler Box
Image via vartamelon.com

Vartamelon sells creative Persian-inspired baked goods from her home with the most loving attention to details. Varta's signature style of drizzled white chocolate with the most carefully placed crushed nuts and rose petals make her goodies so gorgeous. Don't miss her handmade lavashak - it's a real treat!

 

Zozo Baking Shiraz
Image via zozobaking.com

Zozo Baking offers beautiful handmade Persian pastries that are just beautiful. Packaged with care in various gift packages, you can choose just the right combination of sweets. Check the bazaar at Zozo Baking for more offerings  like chai, baking tools and a Persian boutique.

 

Persian Royal Tea Company

Persian Royal Tea offers several varieties of chai that would make a great gift. Persian Royal Tea Company has been in business for three generations and takes pride in offering exquisite blends. Pair it with a box of baked goods for the ultimate treat!
 

Greeting Cards

Little Persian greeting cards

Little Persian provides bilingual greeting cards that have a message on the front in Persian script with the pronunciation and English translation on the back. There are cards for many occasions and are the perfect gift for that hard-to-shop-for someone who has everything. The joy will spread thourhgout the year each time the gift recipient gets to use one. Check out the Hello and Thank You Bundle and the Celebration Bundle or shop cards for all occasions in single or multi-packs.

Apparel

Tahdig Not War
Image via savagemuse.com

Make Tahdig Not War Shirts by Savage Muse are great statement pieces that are bound to be well received by a lucky friend or loved one. Founder Parisa Parnian designed the shirts and has made them quite popular as she wears hers with flair and has garnered attention from many other like-minded tahdig (and peace) lovers.

 

Iran T-Shirt

image via sumus.life

IRAN IRAN IRAN IRAN tee shirt is a collaboration with Taravat Talepasand that explores the constructed nature of national identities as they are negotiated within the tumultuous relations between the US and the East and West at large. Fashion is a way to proclaim your own image and views to the world, thus the collection is a way to protest, support, and proclaim peaceful solidarity and awareness of a country and its people to be free from injustice, hatred, racism, sexism and endless war. This super soft tee shirt is hand silk screened.

 

Saffron Saint 5x1

Image via saffronsaints.co

5x1 by Saffron Saints is one accessory with five uses: a handy dish towel that begs for saffron and turmeric staining, sun protection for a national park hike, mask for safety, rice bonnet for tahdig making, get spicy with it, go wild. Saffron Saints is a sister-started pop-up shop that celebrates immigredients (immigrants + ingredients), and the communities they came from. They have a mission of elevating and celebrating the contributions that immigrants have made to the American food landscape. 50% of proceeds to IRC and The Street Vendor Project, both of which help those who have dedicated their lives to feeding others. Orders are only being taken until November 30 to ensure holiday delivery so check out their apparel today!

 

Kitchen Essentials

Persian Spice Set

Image via louisashafia.com

Persian Spice Kit by Louisa Shafia would be the perfect gift for someone just beginning to cook or looking to recreate the recipes of childhood. It has the essential spices as well as a spice blend and would be the perfect accompaniment to her highly regarded cookbook - The New Persian Kitchen.

 

Zaran Saffron
Image via zaransaffron.com

Zaran Saffron offers premium Persian saffron in quantities from two grams to an ounce - so you can get just the right amount for the serious cook in our life. It will undoubtedly be appreciated and used with great joy!

 

Mortar and Pestle

Image via zozobaking.com

A mortar and pestle is a great toolset to have in the kitchen - especially this miniature size which is perfect for using with saffron. It would make the perfect accompaniment to a tin of saffron as a gift to a Persian food enthusiast. 

Zaffrus Saffron Powder
image via zaffrus.com

Zaffrus Saffron Powder is a really neat idea for those who would appreciate the convenience of quality saffron that is ready to  use in the kitchen. Use it as you would in any recipe - it's ready to go in pre-measured pods.

 

Damkoni
Image via louisashafia.com

 

Rice bonnet or damkoni as it is called in Persian, is something not everyone may know exists but it is the perfectly safe solution to replace using a kitchen towel to catch steam when making tahdig. The fabric is sewn in the shape of a pot lid and elastic keeps it in place so that there is not any excess draping fabric near the heating element. It's just perfect! The ones available by Feast at LouisaShafia.com are made by graduates of Sew For Hope, which provides training and sewing machines for refugees so that they can earn income through entrepreneurial ventures. 

 

Cookbooks

Bottom of the Pot

Image via bottomofthepot.com

Bottom of the Pot by Naz Deravian is a well-respected cookbook that has made its home in many kitchens of new and experienced home cooks and chefs. You can't go wrong with this one!

 

Simply

Image via amazon.com

Simply is the latest cookbook by Sabrina Ghayour and it is a fun one for those who appreciate Persian food and are interested in Persian-inspired dishes that are quick and easy. She is the author of several other well-received cookbooks and is known for bringing familiar flavors to approachable recipes.

Nilou's Shelter In Place Cookbook
Image via amazon.com

Nilou's 21 Recipes from a Shelter in Place is a recently released project by a home cook who spent time during lockdown documenting recipes for her children to eventually use when they leave home. She has made these recipes so simply with the ingredients arranged and labeled pleasingly. It is truly easy enough for a child to follow, which makes it the perfect gift for a beginner cook of any age!

 

Online Classes

Ferdows Kids

Image via ferdowskids.org

Persian classes for kids are now more available than ever with virtual learning options from Pardis for Children, Ferdows Kids and many other Persian Schools around the world. Give the children access to a captivating time in class full of learning, music and fun!

 

Caspian Chef

Image via caspianchef.com

Caspian Chef cooking classes are being offered via Zoom and are bound to be a learning experience for any Persian food enthusiast. Omid Roustaei is a trained chef and culinary instructor with a passion for Persian food and a wealth of experience sharing his techniques with others.

 

Moody Persian

Image via moodypersian.com

Moody Persian cooking lessons are offered one-on-one or as a group. Mahsa Darabi makes it possible to share a meal with the ones you love (virtually) that you are able to all prepare together under her direction. She will undoubtedly make it a fun and memorable experience!

 

Toys & Books for Children

Shahnameh for Kids

Image via shahnamehforkids.com

Shahnemeh for Kids offers great retelling of ancient Persian myths. They are a vibrant and engaging way to make a kid-friendly introduction to Ferdowsi's epic Shahnameh.

 

Azi Toys 

Image via azitoys.ecwid.com

Azitoys sells wooden eco-friendly puzzles that expose your child to the most common Persian letters. Over 200 words can be built with the letters which can be used independent of the puzzle board. 

 

Elephant and Piggy

Image via gandomak.org

Gandomak offers high quality children's literature in Persian. if your child is already reading Persian, these are great titles to keep around for practicing Persian. 

 

Uncle Goose Persian Blocks

Image via unclegoose.com

Uncle Goose Persian Blocks feature debossed Persian letters and numbers on each block. Build towers, words and knowledge with these attractive blocks!

  

Persian Reading

Hafez Shirazi 

Image via Amazon.com

Faces of Love is translated to English by an award-winning poet, poems by Hafez, Jahan Malek Khatun and Obayd-e Zakani - all from Shiraz, are represented in this compilation of poetry. This is a great compilation that combines the great Hafez with two other poets that may expand the reach of Persian poetry for many.

 

Another Birth

Another Birth is a wonderful introduction to Forugh Farrokhzad featuring letters, a timeline of Forush's life and creative work, analysis on her poems and best of all the Persian text of the poems faces the English translations. Get to know this woman who created much scandal in Iran through her reflections on womanhood, love, religion and society. 

 

Persepolis

Image via amazon.com

Persepolis is a graphic memoir depicting the life of Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. It is smart, funny and a most enjoyable way to learn about this important portion of history. It would definitely appeal to young adults as well. 

 

Iranian History

Image from amazon.com

Oxford Handbook of Iranian History is sure to be appreciated by any history buff but would make a great gift for anyone who would benefit from learning more about the rich history of Iran. It was compiled by leading scholars in various fields, so it really gives a complete view of history including language, art, politics and linguistics. A great addition to any Persian family's shelf!

 

 

Persian Learning Materials

Little Persian Learning Set

Little Persian offers teacher-created learning sets that will help learners of any age master vocabulary quickly. The Beginner Bundle or Read and Write Bundle are good starting places for those new to Persian. 

Farsi Dictionary
Image via amazon.com

Farsi-English dictionary is a conveniently sized dictionary to keep around for reference. It is much more extensive than many pocket dictionaries but small enough to keep handy for use while studying. 

Persian in Use
Image via amazon.com

Persian in Use is a college level textbook that is organized by chapter to focus on different areas of life. If you know someone who is studying Persian on their own, this is a fabulous resource with audio available online to help with exercises.

 

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Little Persian has a mission to provide high quality Persian materials to English speaking families. Little Persian is more than just learning materials. It is a movement to connect children and their families to Persian heritage and to one another. 

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