I think we have a bit of bear in us :) Now that winter is approaching here in Isloo, we seem to be preparing for hibernation by eating more! I really love looking for food and haunts new and novel. Sometimes one finds the most delightful treats in the most obscure places.

Take Jumah Bazar. I would associate it with food supplies, bargain finds and snacks in the way of assorted nuts and crisps, fritters dunked in heavy syrup and other deep fried treats. It isn’t a place you would associate with sophisticated fare, so I was more than pleasantly surprised to find these delicate morsels subtly flavoured with sugar and rose.

My husband chanced upon an Irani man named Saeed who had a little stall at the weekend farmers’ market. He had an interesting array of treats like apple and carrot jam (more on that later!), flower-shaped sweet crackers and those delicious sweetmeats pictured above called bamya (or okra because of the shape).

There were a dozen bamya in the box.

*were*

Only those two were left by the time I remembered to take some shots. I’m not a fan of sweets, but they were really sinfully irresistible ma shaa Allah.

Mr Saeed takes orders by phone… I think I’ve just found a way to make winter more bearable :)