Nabāt-e Isfahan

Nabāt-e Isfahan, Sweet and Souvenir.

The word nabāt in Persian is a shortened form of the Arabic sukkar al-nabāt, meaning “plant sugar”¹ or a natural sweet substance derived from the sugarcane plant.² In contrast to nabāt, angabīn (honey) is a natural, animal-derived sweet substance taken from honeybees or mung (bee),³ which in the past was called mung-angabīn.⁴ Before the word nabāt became common in Persian, this candy was called tabar-zad (lit. “axe-struck”),⁵ because, in the common view, it was so hard that one had to strike it with an axe to break it.⁶

During the Sasanian period (224–651 AD), tabar-zad was used in the preparation of the “Royal Stew” (khuresh-e shāhī), a soup called sepīd-pāk/spedh-pāk,⁷ and a syrup made from a combination of “tabar-zad with coriander and rosewater”.⁸ Najm-e Rāzī (d. 654/1256–57) considered white nabāt and tabar-zad to be different. While assimilating the stages of creation by a confectioner (qannād) to the Creator of the world, he enumerated six stages of boiling white sugar (sugarcane juice) to produce six final products. In order of increasing purity and whiteness, these were: white nabāt, white sugar, red sugar, tabar-zad, shekar-e qavāleb (loaf sugar), and finally quṭṭāreh (molasses), which is completely black and cloudy.⁹

In the poem khusru-nāme (gul va Hurmuz),¹⁰ when describing the beloved of Hurmuz, Gulrukh, the poet mentions nabāt-e Isfahan by the name “tabar-zad-e Sepāhān” in contrast to the fame of “the sugar of Khuzestan.”¹¹ Neẓāmī-ye Ganjavī (d. 614 /1217–18), in khusru va shīrīn, while recounting the story of Khusru Parvīz’s attachment to a lady named Shekar-e Eṣpahānī (Sugar of Isfahan), uses the simile of “nabāt-e Sepāhān” (Nabat of Isfahan) for her, indicating the fame of Isfahan’s nabāt in that era.¹²

Nabāt is prepared through the process of crystallization by forming tiny sucrose crystals in a super saturated sugar-water solution.¹³ To produce nabāt, the confectioner or nabāt-rīz (nabāt-maker, the one who pours/trickles nabāt—the term for the maker, as the process is called nabāt-rīkhtan, “pouring/trickling nabāt”)¹⁴ first adds white sugar (sucrose), obtained from sugarcane juice or sugar beets, to water and boils it in a large copper cauldron. He boils it until the sugar is completely dissolved in the boiling water, and a saturated sugar solution, is prepared. The longer it boils, the higher the temperature of the syrup in the cauldron rises, its solubility increases, and more sugar dissolves in the water; the result is a super saturated solution. This solution is then poured into another cauldron to cool slowly. To form the nabāt crystals and keep them suspended in the middle of the syrup, several rows of holding rods are placed on the rim of the second cauldron. Cotton threads are hung vertically from these rods into the cauldron, the syrup is poured in from the large cauldron, and it is then placed in a warm room (garm-khāne).¹⁵

In the crystallization process, crystals form on the thread, which is called the shākh-e nabāt (nabāt branch). Sometimes, the nabāt-maker pours the syrup into large, rimmed trays and places them in the warm room; in this method, there is no need to place threads in the cauldron, and the product is produced in a form of sheet/board nabāt (takhteh-nabāt). The small pieces of nabāt left over, when separating the shākh-e nabāt (those which are like horn), are called khurde-nabāt (crumb nabāt). Also, the thin, crisp nabāt that forms on the surface of the cauldron is called parde-nabāt (i.e., nabāt in a format like a curtain), and the small pieces left when separating the takhte-nabāt from the tray are called mavīze-nabāt (like black raisin). Furthermore, nabāt prepared in bowl-shaped containers and removed in the same shape is called kāse-nabāt (nabāt in a form like bowl). Crystalline pieces smaller than khurde-nabāt, which are actually tiny crystals, are called negīn-nabāt (gem nabāt). The leftover fine particles of nabāt at the bottom of the tray or cauldron are called khāk-e nabāt (nabāt dust), which are slightly coarser than sugar and have the same properties as nabāt, dissolving easily.¹⁶

The nabāt-maker uses various tools to prepare nabāt, including: an oven (ujāq) to provide the proper heat for boiling water and sugar to make the syrup; a copper cauldron (pātīl-e mesī), the special container for boiling the syrup; a skimmer (kafgīr) to remove the impurities from the syrup while boiling; a ṭuqche (a small collar/rim) placed on the edge of the cauldron while the syrup is boiling to prevent hot droplets from splashing around; a stirrer (āb-gardān) for stirring the syrup while boiling in the cauldron; the warm room (garm-khāne) to keep the cauldron at the appropriate temperature and duration for crystal formation; and galvanized or copper trays into which the sugar syrup is sometimes poured and placed in the warm room.¹⁷

The hallmark of high-quality nabāt is the transparency of its crystals. In nabāt-making workshops, nabāt is prepared in three types: simple crystal rock candy, crystal rock candy brown, and crystal rock candy saffron.¹⁸ White nabāt has transparent crystals of sucrose, but in preparing brown nabāt, part of the sugar solution is caramelized, turning it brown. Sometimes, during the crystallization process, the nabāt-maker produces saffron-nabāt by adding a saffron solution to the sugar syrup, or after the production process, they dip the nabāt in a saffron solution, or coat it with saffron stigmas.¹⁹ In recent years, some nabāt workshops have used wooden or heat-resistant, food-grade polymer sticks as a base instead of cotton thread.²⁰ This is called nabāt-e nay-dār (stick nabāt) or nabāt-chūbī (wooden nabāt); one stick of wooden nabāt is enough to sweeten a cup of tea. Its advantage is that it does not require a teaspoon to dissolve in tea; it dissolves by stirring it in. wooden nabāt is prepared with various flavors: plain, saffron, and infused with ground medicinal or aromatic herbs, such as rose, dried lime, cinnamon, marshmallow flower, mint, chamomile, cardamom, cumin, green tea, fennel, borage, thyme, ginger, sour tea, coffee, cocoa, hollyhock flower, and pennyroyal.²¹

Long since, nabāt has been present in various moments of people’s lives, from celebrations to mourning. Āshpaz-Bāshī*, the cook of Shah ‘Abbās I of the Ṣafavid dynasty (r. 995–1038 /1587–1629), mentions dissolving musk and ambergris in nabāt syrup to prepare two types of sweet rice dishes, “mushk pulū” and “‘anbar pulū.”²² Iranians usually drink tea with some kind of sweet; after sugar cubes and granulated sugar, the most common sweets consumed with tea are nabāt and pūlakī* (a type of thin, crisp candy).²³ In old Isfahan, they would prepare a warm drink called gulāb-nabāt by dissolving nabāt and rosewater in boiling water, and drink it for pleasure, for strength, to relieve fatigue, and to change the palate; after tea became prevalent, this warm drink received less attention.²⁴ The solution of nabāt in hot water is called nabāt-dāgh, which is sometimes used to relieve stomach ache.²⁵ Also, for heatstroke or colic, people combine nabāt with tea.²⁶ Busḥāq-e Aṭ’ame* (d. 9th century/15th) and Eshtehā (d. 1289/1872–73), a poet of the Qajar era, have mentioned a type of sweet called āb-dandān, which is obtained from nabāt syrup and would dissolve easily in the mouth.²⁷

In Isfahan, nabāt is one of the gifts from the groom’s family to the bride during the ceremonies of shīrīnī-khurān (lit. “sweet-eating”, an informal pre-engagement gathering of two families) and of ‘aqd-kunān (the official marriage contract ceremony).²⁸ In the past, some confectioners prepared nabāt in the format of bowl (bowl nabāt) to give as gifts,²⁹ and it was one of the gifts and customary presents for the newly-weds from relatives, close ones, friends, and family to the bride and groom. It was presented to the bride and groom at the wedding celebration in the gift-giving ceremony, known as bundur-takht* or pātakhtī, which takes place the day after the wedding night.³⁰ Sometimes, bowl nabāt was prepared with hanging crystalline nabāt in pink and green colors to evoke a cup of flowers or a rose bush,³¹ or it was decorated with colored paper shaped like a red rose.³² In Isfahan, as a symbol of the wish for the bride and groom’s sweet union, the finest saffron bowl nabāt — sometimes prepared in a molded shape and sometimes as a stacked, layered arrangement —is placed on the wedding contract spread.³³ In the past, to form a larger gem, they would tie a negīn-nabāt to a thread and place it in the cauldron, and the groom’s family would place it among the clothes which were gifted to the bride, with the intention that they would begin a sweet life together.³⁴

One of the byproducts of Isfahan’s nabāt-making workshops is shīre-nabāt (nabāt syrup), which is usually offered with saffron flavor. This product is prepared from the thick syrup remaining in the cauldron along with saffron extract and is packaged in bottles or jars. To prevent it from graining, a small amount of citric acid, lemon juice, or vinegar is added to it. Nabāt syrup has a warmer temperament and a more pleasant taste compared to other herbal syrups, and its sweetening power is greater than that of regular one. Nabāt syrup is used in preparing traditional sweets, such as halwa, jam, and gulāb-nabāt, because it is more economical than sugar and nabāt, dissolves faster than nabāt, and has a warmer temperament than sugar.³⁵

During the Safavid* period, each guild in the bazaar had its own head, called a bāshī, who acted as the intermediary between the guild and the government. In the confectioners’ guild, a qannād-bāshī supervised guild affairs. In each guild, besides the bāshī, a rīsh-sefīd (lit. “white beard,” i.e., the elder) or kadkhudā (guild steward/headman) had a designated chamber in the specialized bazaar, called the khāneh-ye rīsh-sefīd (elder’s guild headquarter). He usually inherited this position from his father. The seat of the headman of the confectioners’ guild was in the confectioners’ bazaar, where disputes amongst guild members were addressed, and judgments were issued in their disagreements. The shop of “Ḥājjī Sharīf” was the seat of the confectioners’ headman in the Confectioners’ Bazaar of Isfahan.³⁶

Currently, the bazaar known as Qannādhā (Confectioners’ Bazaar)³⁷ is located to the right of the main portal of the Qeyṣarīyye* Bazaar on the northern side of Naqsh-e Jahān* Square. Until a few decades ago, the confectioners’ guild operated there, but now confectioneries have given way to herbalist shops.³⁸Until a few decades ago, besides the Confectioners’ Bazaar, the confectioners’ guild also had a strong presence in the Bāzārche-ye Nu* (New Bazaar). However, with the construction of Ḥakīm Street in the 1990s/1370s, it was divided into eastern (adjacent to the dyers’ bazaar) and western (adjacent to the Russian consulate) sections, and the prosperity of business there diminished. Nevertheless, until the 2000s/1380s, three shopfronts of pūlakī and nabāt sellers were still active in the western side of Bāzārche-ye Nu;³⁹ of course, the confectioners’ activities were not limited to these bazaars, and they had numerous and scattered shops in other bazaars and large neighborhoods of the city that continue to operate.⁴⁰

In the confectionery guild, the master-apprentice system was strictly observed, and khalīfe (successor) was the final stage that an apprentice passed through before reaching the rank of master, to become experienced, learn all the techniques of the profession, and as the master’s successor, gain competence in performing the tasks.⁴¹

The “Skill of Baking pūlak and nabāt of Isfahan” was registered as an intangible cultural heritage item on the National Heritage List of Iran on January 24, 2013/4th of Bahman 1391under registration number 767.⁴²

/Shahin Sepanta/

Bibliography

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1. The word shekar (sugar) is derived from the Sanskrit word sarkara; see also: Mu‛īn, vol. 2, p. 2057; Ḥasan-Dūst, vol. 3, p. 1880.[↩]
2. Except sugar, another natural sweet substance obtained from the tamarisk tree, called gaz-angabīn; see also: Mu‛īn, vol. 3, p. 3306.[↩]
3. Mung or munj means honeybee; see also: Mu‛īn, vol. 4, p. 4407.[↩]
4. Pūrdāvūd, p. 32.[↩]
5. See: Ḥasan-Dūst, vol. 2, p. 831.[↩]
6. Pūrdāvūd, p. 32; see also: Ḥasan-Dūst, vol. 2, p. 831; Burhān, vol. 1, p. 466.[↩]
7. Sepīd-pāk/spedh-pāk was a soup made from spinach, flour, and vinegar, cooked with the breast of a fat cow. It was eaten with tabar-zad and refined sugar (muṣaffā); see also: Christensen, p. 499.[↩]
8. Jāmāsb-jey, p. 57.[↩]
9. Najm-e Rāzī, pp. 21–22.[↩]
10. The poem khusru-nāme (gul va Hurmuz) is attributed to ‛Aṭṭār of Neyshābūrī (d. 618/1221–22), but it appears to have been composed around 600/1203–4 in Isfahan, and its composer is Sheikh ‛Aṭṭār Abū ‛Abdullāh Muhammad Mīyānejī (d. 619/1222–23). See: Naḥvī, pp. 75–96.[↩]
11. khusru-nāme, p. 233.[↩]
12. Nezāmī, p. 350.[↩]
13. Nabāt – vīzhegīhā va ravīshhā-ye āzmūn, p. 4.[↩]
14. farhang-e buzurg-e sukhan, vol. 8, p. 7736.[↩]
15. Mīrkhalf-zāde, interview, September 2012/Shahrīvar 1391.[↩]
16. Ibid.[↩]
17. Ibid.[↩]
18. Nabāt – vīzhegīhā va ravīshhā-ye āzmūn, p. 4.[↩]
19. Ibid.[↩]
20. Ibid., pp. 9, 14.[↩]
21. Mīrkhalf-zāde, interview, September 2012/Shahrīvar 1391.[↩]
22. Āshpaz-Bāshī, p. 79.[↩]
23. Matīn and Ebrāhīmī, p. 61.[↩]
24. Jamālzāde, p. 353; gulāb-nabāt was also called qand-dāgh (qandāgh) or qand-āb; see: Kāshānī, p. 21.[↩]
25. farhang-e buzurg-e sukhan, vol. 8, p. 7736.[↩]
26. Matīn and Ebrāhīmī, p. 62.[↩]
27. Busḥāq-e Aṭ‛ame, p. 183; Eshtehā, p. 120.[↩]
28. Afshār Sīstānī, pp. 391–393.[↩]
29. Ṣeyrafīyān, p. 103.[↩]
30. Emāmī, pp. 203–204.[↩]
31. Rāvandī, p. 307.[↩]
32. Afqarī, interview, December 2025/Āzar 1404.[↩]
33. Emāmī, p. 71.[↩]
34. Afqarī, interview, December 2025/Āzar 1404.[↩]
35. Ibid.[↩]
36. Keyvānī, pp. 90–94, 98, 136; see also: Naṣr-ābādī, p. 594.[↩]
37. During the Safavid period, qandīl-sāzān (lantern makers) worked in this bazaar, but from the Qajar period onward, confectioners took their place; see also: Mīr‛aẓīmī, p. 187.[↩]
38. Shafaqī, pp. 152, 555.[↩]
39. Ibid., pp. 601–602.[↩]
40. Taḥvīldār, p. 112; Afqarī, interview, December 2025/Āzar 1404.[↩]
41. Keyvānī, p. 97; Afqarī, interview, December 2025/Āzar 1404.[↩]
42. Fehrest-e āthār-e mellī-ye Iran, p. 23.[↩]