ii. CANDY

The candy gaz, made mainly in Isfahan, is prepared from high-quality gaz-angobīn from Ḵᵛānsār. To prepare gaz, gaz-angobīn is dissolved in an equivalent amount of water and brought to a boil over low heat. After straining the solution to remove the impurities, egg whites are added, and the mixture is beaten with a whisk and strained again. Then sugar is added to the solution and it is heated until the mixture reaches the consistency of a paste (Moʿīn, III, p. 3299). To this mixture, shelled pistachio nuts or almonds are added, and the mixture is then shaped into small, flat, round pieces three to four inches in diameter and about three-fourths of an inch in thickness or bite-size, uniform pieces and allowed to cool. The gaz is usually kept or packed in loose white flour to prevent it from being affected by moisture and sticking together. The precise preparation procedures, ingredients, and measurements differ from confectioner to confectioner, each guarding his recipe as a trade secret, which is handed down from one generation to the next. The candy and its unusual property of being both adhesive and brittle was noted with interest by the 19th century traveler Edward Frederick.