{"id":8653,"date":"2026-10-27T13:27:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T04:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8653"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:51:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:51:52","slug":"bastani-sonnati","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/bastani-sonnati\/","title":{"rendered":"Bastani Sonnati"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bastani sonnati is an Iranian ice cream flavored with saffron and rose water. Pistachios are scattered through its pale yellow body, and some versions contain flakes of frozen cream. Within the smooth ice cream, the pieces of frozen cream add a different texture.<\/p>\n

\"An
An example of pistachios with opened shells. Location unknown. Photo: THOR \/ Source<\/a> \/ CC BY 2.0<\/a>. Image used as provided by the source host; content not altered after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"An
An example of dried saffron. Location unknown. Photo: Shaharbano \/ Source<\/a> \/ CC BY 4.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version from the source host; content not altered after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

White Shards of Frozen Cream<\/h2>\n

Milk and sugar form the base, which is combined with saffron and rose water and churned while it is chilled. Some recipes add salep. The polysaccharides in salep hold water and help create a thick, stretchy mouthfeel. The frozen cream is first set in a thin layer, broken up, and mixed in afterward, so it remains as separate white pieces within the ice cream. Some versions have pistachios mixed in or scattered on top. You can enjoy the fragrant, cold ice cream together with flakes of cream that come apart as you bite into them and the crunch of the nuts.<\/p>\n

Sandwiched Between Wafers<\/h2>\n

Ice cream sandwiched between thin wafers is called bastani nooni. Rather than only being eaten with a spoon, it takes a form that can be held in the hand and eaten. Rose water and saffron are also used in sholeh zard<\/a>, which is made by simmering rice, but here they flavor milk that is chilled and frozen into a cold sweet.<\/p>\n

\"Iranian
Iranian ice cream sandwiched between wafers. 2008, location unknown. Photo: IDangerMouse \/ Source; public domain<\/a>. Color-adjusted version by Ubcule, reduced in size by the source host; content not altered after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A shop in the Netherlands that makes Iranian ice cream also presents it as a gift to bring when visiting family or friends. The aromas that accompany this cold sweet, and the ways of eating it, are enjoyed even in places far from Iran.<\/p>\n

A Name That Lives On in a Tehran Shop<\/h2>\n

The name of Akbar Mashti, who sold ice cream in Tehran, has been handed down in connection with this sweet. According to one account, he opened a shop with Mohammad Rish in the late 1920s and popularized ice cream made with rose water, cream, saffron, and salep. Mohammad Malayeri, a relative, says that as a child he helped out at Akbar\u2019s shop and later carried on the name in Tehran. The work of gathering ingredients and preserving a shop\u2019s flavor also carries each family\u2019s memories. The existence of ancient frozen desserts and the emergence of today\u2019s milk-based bastani sonnati are not the same event.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Salep<\/strong>: A flour made from the tubers of plants in the orchid family. It thickens heated milk and other liquids.<\/p>

Bastani nooni<\/strong>: A way of eating ice cream sandwiched between thin wafers.<\/p>

Akbar Mashti<\/strong>: A figure known as an ice cream seller in Tehran.<\/p>

Mohammad Rish<\/strong>: A figure said to have opened a shop with Akbar Mashti.<\/p>

Mohammad Malayeri<\/strong>: A relative of Akbar who says he took over the shop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bastani sonnati is an Iranian ice cream flavored with saffron and rose water. Pistachios are scattered through its pale yellow body, and some versions contain flakes of frozen cream. Within the smooth frozen dessert, the bits of milk fat create a different texture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7889,"menu_order":424,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Bastani sonnati","subtitle":"Ingredients and Preparation of Bastani Sonnati","topics":"A frozen dessert scented with saffron and rose water\uff0fThe stretchiness that salep adds\uff0fFlakes of frozen cream and pistachios","country":"Iran","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["nuts","spice","cream"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["chilled"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[164],"class_list":["post-8653","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t