Facing page: Sixteenth-century street vendors making halva.
My sisters and I loved the street foods of Iran in our childhood. Our parents forbade us to indulge, saying these snacks were unhygienic and could make us sick. But being forbidden naturally made them even more desirable and tasty. Street foods could be found every-where, in front of schools, near cinemas, at busy street corners, and in and around the bazaar.