Holiday cookie traditions, plus Roya Shariat and Gita Sadeh’s ‘Maman and Me’

Roya Shariat and her mother, Gita Sadeh are co-authors of the new cookbook, Maman and Me: Recipes from Our Iranian American Family.

You’ve likely seen Gita on Roya’s TikTok and Instagram, where she’s famous for flipping the most gorgeous tahdigs and picking the right-sized container for leftovers 100% of the time (there are some nail-biters and you will root for her ‘til the end).

In our conversation, Roya explains why it was important for her to document her mother’s recipes in a book, and together, they talk about the ways their culture is so deeply rooted in food and feeding one another.

Plus, some Connecticut residents talk about a cookie that’s special to them, either because of a cultural tradition, holiday or just because they love it.

You’ll hear about treasured alfajores, anisette cookies, gingerbread, rugelach, Norwegian krumkake, and more. We also learn about the cookies (and the bakers) of Sanctuary Kitchen in New Haven.

GUESTS:

• Roya Shariat and Gita Sadeh: Co-authors of Maman and Me: Recipes from Our Iranian American Family (@mamanandme) (@royashariat)

GUEST COOKIE CONTRIBUTORS:

• Joyce Thompsen Biolzi and Janice Papuga: Mother and daughter. Special cookie - Norwegian krumkake

• Leyla Dam Jenkins: Owner of Lorca Coffee Bar in Stamford, Conn. Special cookie - alfajores

• Lori Dalton: Mom of Seasoned’s Director of Storytelling. Special cookie – Italian anisette

• Ramin Ganeshram: Executive Director of Westport Museum for History & Culture. Special cookie - gingerbread

• Noah Baerman: Jazz musician and educator. Special cookie - chocolate chip

• Parvine Toorawa: Chef and baker at Sanctuary Kitchen. Special cookie - naankataj

• Azar Ahmed: Chef at Sanctuary Kitchen. Special cookie - kaak juz hind

• Rawaa Ghazi: Program Associate at Sanctuary Kitchen in New Haven, Conn. Special cookie - ma'amoul

• Tagan Engel: Producer of Seasoned. Special cookie – rugelach and Lego® gingerbread (adapted from Tartine's soft gingerbread)

FEATURED RECIPES:
Soft Almond Flour Cookies (Toots)
Crispy Egg Yolk and Walnut Cookies (Noon Tokhmorghi)
Sweet Yogurt Fritters (Noon Masti)
Tagan's Rugelach
Tagan's Lego Gingerbread Cookies

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Stephanie Stender, Katrice Claudio, and Me