Culturetalk Iran Video Transcripts: Gaz: an Edible Souvenir

CultureTalk Iran Video Transcripts: http://langmedia.fivecolleges.edu Gaz: An Edible Souvenir

Persian transcript: محسن: حاال ِسوغاتای[سوغات ِھای] اِصفَھان چيه؟ اِصفَھان چه سوغاتايی[سوغات ھايی] داره[ َدارد]؟ به ھر حال اصفھان يه[يک] َش ِھر توريستيه[توريستی است .] .] امير: توريستيه[توريستی است ]! اگه از خوردنياش[خوردنی ھ َايش] ُش بروع ُ ُکنيم. شايَد بِگم[ب َگويم] َمعروفتَرين ُسوغاتی ِی اِصفَھان ُسوغاتی ِی ُشماره ِيکش[ ِيک آن] يه شيرينی ای ھست به اِ ِسم گز که گز حاال به صو ِرت ُسنَتی از ُعصاره ِی ِگياه اَنگبين [است]؛ ديه ِ َرختچه ای به ِاسم اَنگبين که ُعصاره ِی اون را می گيرن[می َگيرند ] . . ] محسن: ِدرختچه ِی گز. اَز ِد َر ِخت گز ع؛ ُصاره اَش اَنگبينه[ َانگبين است ]. اَنگبين يَعنی اون شيره . . امير: آھا! آھا! پَس اِ ِسم ِد َرختِش گزه[گز است ] ] محسن: ِد َر ِخت گز . آره. امير: ِد َر ِخت گز می دونَم[می َدانم] ھست َولی َمن فکر کردم که يه ِچيز ُمتَ ِفاوت باشه . پس حاال اون اَنگبين يا ُعصاره ِی گياھی رو[را] با آرد و يه کمی ھم ِھل و ُگالب و َم ِغز پِسته يا َم ِغز بادوم[بادام] و اين ھا قاطی می کنند به شکل ممکنه به شکل ِگرد يا کوچيک کوچيک[ َکوچک] در بيارند[ َبياورند] و بَعضی ھاش حاال ِم ِثل ُشکالت يه ِج ِلدای پِالستيکی داره[ َدارد ] ] بَعضی ھاش[بعضی از آن ھا] نه، ِتوی آرد ِسرو [serve] می شه[می َ َشود] که تازه بمونه[ ِ َبماند ]. اون گز ُسوغاتی ِی اَ ﱠول و َآخ ِر [اصفھان است ]. ]. محسن: چه رنگيه[ َرنگی است] گز؟ امير: ِسفيده[ ِسفيد است]. محسن: بَعد اون شيره ِی ِدرخت گز اون ُخ ِودش شيرينه[شيرين است] يا بِ ِھش[به آن] َمثَالً ِشکر يا شيرينی يا يک ِچيز شيرين ديگه[ديگر] اِضافه می کنند؟ امير: واال من .. .. محسن: به نَحو ُسنَتيش [ ُ َسنتی ِی آن]! امير: واال من خودم که تا حاال نه ِد ِرخت گز رو[را] ديدم و نه شيره اش رو[را ] ولی اگه[اگر] به اَ َدبيّات و اين ھامون [اين [ ھای ما] ُرجوع بُکنيم فکه ِکر می کنم که ِچيز شيرينی باشه. ولی باز ِش َنيدم که ِتوی کارگاه ھ ِای اِمروزی ِی گز اِنقدر [آن [ َ َقدر] اون ُعصاره ِی گياه يا اَنگبين اَصالً يا اِستِفاده نِمی شه[ ِنمی َ َشود] يا کمتَر اِستِفاده ميشه[می َ َشود .] حاال نمی دونم چه قدر ُد ُرست باشه . . محسن: فَقَط يک اِسمی از اون ِد َرخت اونجا مونده[مانده است ] . . ] امير: حاال اونايی[آن ھا يی] که ِگزای[ ِگزھای] خيلی َمرغوبَند[ َمرغوب ھستند] شايَد به ِخاط ِر شايد به ِخاط ِر َمرغوبيَتِشون[ َ َمرغوبيت شان] می نِ ِوشت ِروی بَسته که نمی دونم ُعصاره ِی گياه اَنگبين فِالن اَ ّما به ھر َصورت می گم [می [ َگويم] اين گز نُکته ِی ﱢخاصاش اينه[اين ست] که ُم َنح ِصر به اِصفَھانه[ َاصفھان است] يَعنی َش ِھرای[ َش ِھرھای] ديگه[ديگر ] ] نِمی تونی[ ِنمی َتوانی] پيدا بکنی ھر ِجای ايران ھم بری[ ِ َبروی] اگه[اگر] گز داشته باشن[ َباشند ] گز قَطعاً ِگز اصفَھانه[ ِ َاصفھان است .] .]

English translation:

Mohsen: Now, what are the souvenirs of Isfahan? What souvenirs does Isfahan have? At last Isfahan is a tourist attraction. Amir: It is touristic! If [we] start from the edibles, perhaps the most famous souvenir of Isfahan, its number one souvenir is a sweet called gaz which is traditionally the extract of the angabin plant; the extract is taken from a shrub called angabin.

Mohsen: [It’s called] gaz shrub. From the gaz tree; its extract is angabin. It means angabin is its extract.

Amir: Oh! Oh! So the name of the tree is gaz.

Mohsen: The gaz tree, yeah!

Amir: The gaz tree I know exists, but I thought it was a different one. Then, now that extract or the juice of the plant is mixed with flour, a little bit of cardamom and rosewater and pistachio or almonds and things like that, and made into round shapes or small, small pieces. Some nowadays look like chocolate in plastic wrap, some not; they are served in flour in order to keep them fresh. That gaz is the first and last souvenir of Isfahan.

Mohsen: What color is gaz?

Amir: It is white.

Mohsen: Then is that extract sweet by itself, or let’s say sugar or a sweet thing is added to it?

Amir: I swear to God, I…1

Mohsen: In the traditional way!

Amir: I swear to God, I have not yet seen either a gaz tree or its extract, but if we refer to our literature and such, I think it must be a sweet thing. Yet again I have heard nowadays [that] in [bakeries] the extract or angabin are not used at all or used very little. Now, I don’t know to what extent this could be true.

Mohsen: Just a name of a tree is left there.

Amir: Now, those [gaz] that are very high quality gaz, perhaps is due to its quality which on the box it would say, I don’t know the extract of plant of such and such2…but, anyhow, I’m saying the specific point of gaz is that it is exclusive to Isfahan. It means [that] in other cities you can’t find it. Anywhere in Iran you go, even if they have gaz, it is definitely the gaz of Isfahan.

literally means “swear to God,” but here it means “I do not know.” In many usages, it implies doubt and َو = االو 1 uncertainty. means “so and so,” “such and such,” or “not a certain person” or “not a certain thing” and is often used in ِفالن 2 colloquial conversations when the speaker cannot think of a specific example or name. About CultureTalk: CultureTalk is produced by the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages and housed on the LangMedia Website. The project provides students of language and culture with samples of people talking about their lives in the languages they use every day. The participants in CultureTalk interviews and discussions are of many different ages and walks of life. They are free to express themselves as they wish. The ideas and opinions presented here are those of the participants. Inclusion in CultureTalk does not represent endorsement of these ideas or opinions by the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages, Five Colleges, Incorporated, or any of its member institutions: Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.