Celebrate Women’s History Month & Persian New Year at Maman Zari
March is a month of strength, renewal, and celebration—making it the perfect time to visit Maman Zari. As a woman-owned Persian restaurant in Chicago, we’re honoring Women’s History Month by showcasing the incredible contributions of women in winemaking. At the same time, we’re preparing to welcome the Persian New Year, Nowruz, a time of joy, abundance, and new beginnings.
Raising a Glass to Women in Wine
Throughout March, we’re highlighting a special selection of wines crafted by women that resonate with our Persian heritage—visionaries redefining the industry while honoring their roots. These wines will be available alongside our seasonal tasting menus, creating the perfect pairing of history, culture, and craftsmanship.
Featured Wineries:
Azizam (Maryam Hariri, Mexico) – A deeply personal project from a Persian-Mexican winemaker, blending tradition with modern natural winemaking techniques.
Maysara (Momtazi Family, Oregon) – A biodynamic winery run by the Momtazi sisters, producing elegant, terroir-driven wines from their family estate.
Darioush (Holly Turner, Napa Valley) – A Persian-founded winery where winemaker Holly Turner crafts bold, expressive wines with Old World depth and New World innovation.
Each of these wineries tells a story of heritage, passion, and perseverance—values that resonate deeply with us at Maman Zari.
Nowruz: A Feast for New Beginnings
At the heart of Persian culture is Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which arrives with the spring equinox on March 20th. It’s a time of gathering, renewal, and abundance—when tables overflow with fragrant herbs, sweet pastries, and symbolic dishes meant to bring prosperity in the year ahead.
To honor this tradition, we’re offering a special Nowruz menu from March 18 to March 29, featuring celebratory dishes inspired by the flavors of the holiday. Whether you’re joining us for an intimate dinner or gathering with loved ones, this limited-time menu as we transition into spring is the perfect way to welcome the new year.
Join Us This March
Whether you’re raising a glass to the pioneering women of wine or indulging in the rich traditions of Persian hospitality, Maman Zari is the perfect place to celebrate. Reserve your table now and experience the flavors, stories, and warmth of this special month.
We look forward to welcoming you. Eide Shoma Mobarak!
Shab-e Yalda
About Yalda and the Persian Solar Calendar
Despite being absorbed into the Islamic world, Iran maintained its unique cultural identity through its language and calendar.
Persian poetry started in the early 10th century and reached its apex with the Epic of the Persian Kings, Shahnameh.
The tenacity of the Iranians to keep their culture is apparent in keeping their ancient solar calendar. Iran is the only Muslim country in the world whose main calendar is not the Arabic Lunar calendar but the ancient Persian Solar one.
Keeping its ancestral calendar allowed Iran to remain in contact with its pagan (pre-Islamic, Zoroastrian, and Mithraic) holidays. The most important of those relate to the four main events of the solar year: Vernal and Autumal Equinoxes (Nowruz and Mehregan) and the Winter and Summer solstices (Yalda and Tirgan).
Yalda is the only one of the four major Iranian holidays that has an Aramaic name, possibly because it was widely celebrated in Mesopotamia.
Winter Solstice was celebrated in Iran as the birthday of Mithra, who was the copanion and close associate to the disc of the sun, Mehr. The winter solstice is considered the birthday of the Sun as from this night forward, every day becomes longer. There is a story of a friendly wrestling match that occurred between the two friends. Mithra won and helped the sun (Mehr) get up with a handshake.
Ancient Zoroastrians in Iran used red to represent the color of dawn and light in general. It’s likely for that reason that many of the foods served on Yalda are red.
Traditional Yalda Activities
Gathering with friends and family on this night is common. The idea is to spend some of the night with friends to reduce its length. The gatherings begin with a fine dinner, usually highlighting popular regional dishes.
Iranians everywhere serve a variety of fruits, including pomegranate—the crown jewel of fruits native to Iran—watermelon, and persimmon. Other common foods are steamed beets and mixed dried fruit and nuts, including figs, white mulberries, raisins, dates, hazelnuts, and pistachios, and special sweets.
At the end of the night, people open a book of Hafez randomly. A designated reader, usually an elder, interprets the first poem that each person opens to as that person’s fortune for the year to come. Reciting poems and Hafez’s bibliomancy, that is, posing a question and opening the divan of Hafez to a random page to read his response, is a favorite activity of the night.
Join us at Maman Zari on Friday, December 20, 2024 to celebrate Shab-e Yalda!
You can book your reservation on Tock.
Maman Zari Turns 1!
We were so excited to celebrate our first anniversary this past weekend! We’ve been delighted to be a part of your special evenings since opening our doors a year ago and look forward to being a part of many more birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations, date nights, and “just because” meals.
We are so happy that Chicago has embraced our Persian-inspired tasting menu concept so warmly. This summer, we added a shorter midweek menu - a 4-course prix fixe - so that people who don’t want to commit to a full tasting could still come and enjoy a full dinner of their choosing.
We’re working on expanding our options, like introducing a saffron cooler, inspired by the sharbat zafarani - a sweet saffron and rosewater drink - that Mariam enjoyed on a trip to Kashan.
If you haven’t had a chance to come in for a meal, we hope to see you soon!
Thanks,
Matteo & Mariam
Nowruz - Persian New Year
Nowruz, which means "new day," is the Persian New Year and is celebrated on the vernal equinox, usually on March 21st. This year, in Chicago, it’s at 10:06PM on Monday, March 19th. Celebrated by people of various ethnicities and religions for more than 3000 years, including Iranians, Kurds, Tajiks, Afghans, and Zoroastrian, it is a joyous occasion that marks the beginning of spring. Nowruz holidays last thirteen days in Iran.
Nowruz is a time for families to come together, exchange gifts, and share traditional meals. It is also a time for cleaning and decluttering, as well as setting new goals for the year ahead. Many people prepare a Haft-Seen table, which is a display of seven symbolic items that start with the letter "S" in Persian. Those seven items are sabzeh (sprouts), samanu (wheat germ pudding), senjed (oleaster), serkeh (vinegar), seeb (garlic), and somagh (sumac.) Sekkeh (coins), sombol (hyacinth), and sowat (clock) are sometimes included as well or used to replace some of the other items. A Haft-Seen table also typically includes a mirror, candles, painted eggs, goldfish, traditional Persian confections, and a book of wisdom. You’ll find most of those items on the haftseen at Maman Zari.
Nowruz has become an important symbol of Iranian identity, and it has been celebrated by Iranians all over the world. It is an occasion to honor one's roots, preserve traditions, and pass them on to the next generation. In many ways, Nowruz is a celebration of the human spirit, resilience, and optimism in the face of adversity.
As a restaurant heavily influenced by the dishes and flavors of Iran, Nowruz is a time for us to set our goals as a restaurant, and we’re excited to have our doors open this year so that we can present guests with a tasting menu inspired by these meals.
Book your reservation to join us during the Nowruz holidays.
Shab-e Yalda
About Yalda and the Persian Solar Calendar
Despite being absorbed into the Islamic world, Iran maintained its unique cultural identity through its language and calendar.
Persian poetry started in the early 10th century and reached its apex with the Epic of the Persian Kings, Shahnameh.
The tenacity of the Iranians to keep their culture is apparent in keeping their ancient solar calendar. Iran is the only Muslim country in the world whose main calendar is not the Arabic Lunar calendar but the ancient Persian Solar one.
Keeping its ancestral calendar allowed Iran to remain in contact with its pagan (pre-Islamic, Zoroastrian, and Mithraic) holidays. The most important of those relate to the four main events of the solar year: Vernal and Autumal Equinoxes (Nowruz and Mehregan) and the Winter and Summer solstices (Yalda and Tirgan).
Yalda is the only one of the four major Iranian holidays that has an Aramaic name, possibly because it was widely celebrated in Mesopotamia.
Winter Solstice was celebrated in Iran as the birthday of Mithra, who was the copanion and close associate to the disc of the sun, Mehr. The winter solstice is considered the birthday of the Sun as from this night forward, every day becomes longer. There is a story of a friendly wrestling match that occurred between the two friends. Mithra won and helped the sun (Mehr) get up with a handshake.
Ancient Zoroastrians in Iran used red to represent the color of dawn and light in general. It’s likely for that reason that many of the foods served on Yalda are red.
Traditional Yalda Activities
Gathering with friends and family on this night is common. The idea is to spend some of the night with friends to reduce its length. The gatherings begin with a fine dinner, usually highlighting popular regional dishes.
Iranians everywhere serve a variety of fruits, including pomegranate—the crown jewel of fruits native to Iran—watermelon, and persimmon. Other common foods are steamed beets and mixed dried fruit and nuts, including figs, white mulberries, raisins, dates, hazelnuts, and pistachios, and special sweets.
At the end of the night, people open a book of Hafez randomly. A designated reader, usually an elder, interprets the first poem that each person opens to as that person’s fortune for the year to come. Reciting poems and Hafez’s bibliomancy, that is, posing a question and opening the divan of Hafez to a random page to read his response, is a favorite activity of the night.
Join us at Maman Zari on Thursday, December 21, 2023 to celebrate Shab-e Yalda!
You can book your reservation on Tock.
Wine Highlights: Tuesday, August 29
This Tuesday, August 29th we’re highlighting four of our favorite wines and a piquette! The bottles will be half-price that night as well.
This Tuesday, August 29th we’re highlighting four of our favorite wines and a piquette! The bottles will be half-price that night as well.
Fitz-Ritter “Fitz” Riesling Sekt NV, Pfalz, Germany
The Fitz-Ritter family has been making wines since 1785. This sparkling wine from Pfalz, Germany is made with 100% Riesling grapes with a crisp finish and long-lasting effervescence. Made in the classic style, it’s less yeasty than traditionally made sparkling wines.
Bellingham The Bernard Series “Old Vine Chenin Blanc” 2021, Cape Town, South Africa
The Bernard Series was named for the co-founder of Bellingham Bernard Podlashuk, who helped put South African wine on the map. The vines for this Chenin Blanc were planted in 1983 and one of the first old vine focused wines in the region The grapes are hand-picked and harvested at two different ripening levels to add complexity to the wine. This wine is fresh with a minerality and stone fruit and tropical finish.
Ca dei Frati “I Frati” 2021, Lugana, Italy
“I Frati” is Ca de Frati’s signature wine. Made of 100% native Turbiana grapes from Lombardy grown in a limestone clay soil, this wine has a pleasant and delicate flavor with some floral and almond notes.
Tikves “Barovo” 2018
Founded in 1885, Tives Winery has existed through multiple independence movements and world wars — yet continue to make wines from grapes native to the region. This now privatized estate has been recently updated with sustainable farming practices and an emphasis on preserving indigenous grapes. This red is made up of grapes grown from a parcel of vines that are a mix of Kratosij and Vranec grapes in the village of Barovo.
And the piquette:
Mersel Piquette 2021, Lebanon
Unlike wine, a piquette is made by mixing wine pomace with water and then fermenting those residual sugars, resulting in a lower alcohol, effervescent drink. This piquette is made with a mix of Muscat, Sauvingnon Blanc, and indigenous Merwah vines. Organic honey was later added for a second spring fermentation. The result is a pleasant, effervescent drink that’s more reminiscent of a cider or beer.
Nowruz
Nowruz, which means "new day," is the Persian New Year and is celebrated on the vernal equinox, usually on March 21st. This year, in Chicago, it’s at 4:24PM on Monday, March 20th. Celebrated by people of various ethnicities and religions for more than 3000 years, including Iranians, Kurds, Tajiks, Afghans, and Zoroastrian, it is a joyous occasion that marks the beginning of spring. Nowruz holidays last thirteen days in Iran.
Nowruz is a time for families to come together, exchange gifts, and share traditional meals. It is also a time for cleaning and decluttering, as well as setting new goals for the year ahead. Many people prepare a Haft-Seen table, which is a display of seven symbolic items that start with the letter "S" in Persian. Those seven items are sabzeh (sprouts), samanu (wheat germ pudding), senjed (oleaster), serkeh (vinegar), seeb (garlic), and somagh (sumac.) Sekkeh (coins), sombol (hyacinth), and sowat (clock) are sometimes included as well or used to replace some of the other items. A Haft-Seen table also typically includes a mirror, candles, painted eggs, goldfish, traditional Persian confections, and a book of wisdom.
Nowruz has become an important symbol of Iranian identity, and it has been celebrated by Iranians all over the world. It is an occasion to honor one's roots, preserve traditions, and pass them on to the next generation. In many ways, Nowruz is a celebration of the human spirit, resilience, and optimism in the face of adversity.
As an important part of our identity, as a restaurant heavily influenced by the dishes and flavors of Iran, Nowruz is a time for us to set our goals as a restaurant. While we can’t yet serve up a Nowruz feast, we look forward to opening our doors later this year.