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Gondi
	A plate of gondi
Alternative names	Ghondi, gundi, Persian matzo ball soup
Type	Soup
Course	Appetizer or side dish
Place of origin	Iran; Khorasan, Esfahan and Tehran
Region or state	Persian Jewish; Iran; Israel; United States
Created by	Persian Jews
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Chickpea flour, chicken, or turkey, or sometimes (ground lamb, grated onions, cardamom, garlic, sometimes turmeric, dried lime

Gondi (go-n-dee), sometimes spelled as ghondi, or gundi,^[1]^[2] is a Persian Jewish dish^[2] of meatballs^[3] made from ground lamb, veal or chicken^[2] traditionally served on Shabbat. Dried lime is sometimes used as an ingredient.^[4] Gondi are served as part of chicken soup served on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays, similar to their Ashkenazi Jewish counterpart matzo balls.

They are also sometimes served as a side dish, or as an appetizer. Accompaniments are Middle Eastern bread and raw greens such as mint, watercress, and basil.^[5]

Origins

The origin of Gondi is not known with certainty, as the Jewish community residing in various cities in Iran are said to have originated it, but it is commonly said to have first been made in the Jewish community of Tehran. Due to the expense of the meat, it was a specialty for Shabbat. It is one of the few dishes credited to Iranian Jews. Gondi is also a popular dish among the Mountain Jewish population.^[5]^[6]

Jewish holidays

Generally larger than matza balls, gondi, named after a "bawdy euphemism for a certain part of the male anatomy", are served for the Purim meal of Persian Jews in Israel. It's also an alternative to matza balls for Passover.^[7]

Ingredients

Gondi recipes typically include some form of ground meat, chickpea flour^[2] (which may be prepared using toasted chickpeas), shredded onions, ground cardamom, and salt.

References

^ Murphy, Kate (March 10, 2012). "Catching Up With the Chef Yotam Ottolenghi". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Ruth Taber: Chickpeas star in Rosh Hashanah dishes". El Paso Times. September 20, 2016. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
^ "The Stuff Of Tradition". The Jewish Week | Connecting The World To Jewish News, Culture & Opinion. March 2, 2016. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
^ "The food travels of London's top chefs". Evening Standard. October 4, 2016. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Iranian Jews' delicious obsession with Gondi - Iranian American Jews". Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
^ "PersianRabbi.com - Persian Iranian Judaism Online - How to make Gondi". Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
^ "Gondi for Purim". Hadassah Magazine. 11 March 2016. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2020.