Mlabbas (Syrian Arabic) (Arabic: ملبس), and Noghl (Iranian Persian), or Nuql (Afghan Persian) ( fa, نقل), or
sugar-coated
almonds, is a traditional
Syrian,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian and
Afghan confection
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categorie ...
. It is made by boiling sugar with water and
rose water
Rose water ( fa, گلاب) is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. Rose water is also used to fla ...
and then coating roasted almonds in the mixture. It can also be made with other
nuts such as
walnut
A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''.
Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...
s or other items. Noghl is often eaten along with tea.
Noghl is often included in
Syrian, Iranian and Afghan
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
s, which are based on ancient Arabic / Persian / Afghan ceremonies. As part of the wedding celebration, an often lavish spread of food is prepared at the home of the bride. Included among the food is an assortment of pastries and sweets, including noghl, which is typically paid for by the groom. In many places in both Iran and Afghanistan, Noghl (Nuql) is showered on the bride and groom, much like
confetti
Confetti are small pieces or streamers of paper, mylar, or metallic material which are usually thrown at celebrations, especially parades and weddings. The origins are from the Latin ''confectum'', with ''confetti'' the plural of Italian ''co ...
in Western countries would be.
[Saberi, Helen. Afghan Food & Cookery. New York: Hippocrene, 2000. (p. 9) ]
See also
*
Dragée
A dragée ( ; ), also known as confetto (; ), malbas, Jordan almond, or sugared almond in the U.K, is a bite-sized form of confectionery with a hard outer shell. It is often used for another purpose (e.g. decorative, symbolic, medicinal, etc.) i ...
*
List of almond dishes
This is a list of almond foods and dishes, which use almond as a primary ingredient. The almond is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. "Almond" is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within ...
*
Suikerboon
A ''suikerboon'' (Dutch), or sugar bean, is a type of sweet traditionally given on the occasion of the birth or baptism of a child in Belgium, where they are also known as doopsuiker (Dutch), or baptism sugar, and parts of the Netherlands. In Fre ...
*
Chickpea noghl
References
Sugar confectionery
Syrian cuisine
Iranian desserts
Afghan desserts
Nut confections
Almond desserts
{{Afghanistan-cuisine-stub