If You Read Nothing Else

A strictly seasonal food — the four-to-six-week Persian spring window from mid-March through late April; frozen or brined chaghāleh keeps the season alive year-round.

Cold-and-moist mizaj (Cold 2nd, Moist 1st) — the classical corrective for liver heat, gastric heat, and heartburn after rich Nowruz meals.

Eat the whole fruit, fuzz-skin and all, with a small dish of sea salt — the traditional pairing that lifts the flavour and balances the coolness.

Distinct from the mature dry almond (bādām) — different mizaj, different indications, different season on the calendar.