“Come on down,” shouted the
toothless old man dressed in white, sitting at his old mill wheel.
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| Mr. Sharbati at Shooshtar Ancient Hydraulic Dam |
Well that’s what the local
guide and interpreter said that he said.
So, come on down I did –
into the belly of the 2,200-year-old mill, powered purely by water from the
Karun River and nearby tributaries.
Jumping down into the tiny
mill was a good move. For not only did I
make a new friend in Mr. Sharbati, a miller whose family has apparently been grinding
wheat for 30 generations, but I was also given a personalized lesson
in how to make organic, preservative-free flour – the old fashioned way.
This all happened in the
historic town of Shushtar.
Situated in the heart of Iran’s
Khuzestan Province, and only one hour’s drive from its capital Akhvaz, Shushtar
possesses a series of thundering short-drop waterfalls and ancient watermills.
Having arrived in Shushtar,
make your way to the Gargar Bridge, follow guidance from the obliging
English-speaking locals and the rest, as they say, is history.
Stepping on to the bridge it
feels almost like a time-travelling trip back into the era of the Sassanids who
ruled the area almost two millennia ago.
For, with the exception of air-conditioned Japanese vehicles, folks
sporting designer sunglasses and clutching the latest smartphones, nothing much
in Shushtar has really changed.
Water diverted from the
Karun River flows rapidly into an ancient – but still-functioning – hydraulic
system, which continues to feed water to local farms and these traditional mills,
as well as providing a home to a variety of local water birds.
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| Dams at Gargar Bridge Ancient Hydraulic System |
Anyway, back to the lesson on grinding wheat into flour!
“How do I get this big wheel
to move?” I asked – revealing my city-slicker status.
“Watch this,” said Mr.
Sharbati with a cheeky wink, and beckoned me to bend down and feel the onrush of
loud water and check out the antiquated gearbox. The next thing I knew I was being shown how to
flick the old wooden gears without falling into the waterfall. Then, suddenly, my wheat started being ground
into flour and came flying out – at great speed – in front of my feet.
Scooping up the flour into a
bag, my new friend said, “You won’t get organic flour like that anywhere nowadays.”
I ran my fingers through the
smooth flour and smelt its earthy aroma.
I had to agree with my teacher. Sometimes
the old ways are the best.
And what did I do with this
indigenous flour? Well, I tossed it
together with some local cheese and made some scones.
Hardly Iranian, I admit. But,
then again, you never know…
Liz’s Cheese Scones
What you need for about 8
scones:
250 grams self-raising flour
(or mix 1 teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda with all-purpose
flour)
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| Cheese Scones |
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
55 grams butter, cut into
cubes
2 tablespoons of sour cream
or low fat natural yogurt
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon of dried mixed
herbs
3 to 4 tablespoons mild
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 220°C/
Gas Mark 7. Dust a baking sheet with flour.
Grate the cheese and keep half for topping the scones.
Break the egg into a cup and whisk it.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the
butter. Rub it in until it resembles
breadcrumbs.
Add the sour cream (or yogurt), egg, mustard, herbs and half the
grated cheese.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix together and add milk gradually until you have a nice soft
dough.
Knead gently and then roll out until it is 2cms in thickness.
Use a 6cm cutter and make scone rounds and place the scones on the
baking tray.
Brush with some milk and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until they are golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack. Tasty
with a little butter when they are warm.
