In the classroom this week we read The Shape of Home, a book about an Iranian American child and her classmates who are from all around the world.
In the kitchen we made a Persian carrot rice dish called havij polo in Farsi. Students grated carrots and fresh turmeric, snipped candied lemon peel, pounded saffron, and made a savory layer cake of sorts with a carrot-raisin mixture and pre-cooked basmati rice. The dish was finished with the syrup left over from the candied-peel-making process and dried rose petals. We enjoyed the savory, sweet, bitter, and spiced end result, which represented a new flavor profile for many in our first grade community.
