Navigating the Iranian American Identity: How Her Mother Helped Her Find Belonging
Discover the heartwarming journey of Iranian American Roya Shariat and her mother Gita Sadeh, who embraced their cultural identity through TikTok fame Indulge in their mouthwatering food videos, celebrating heritage and now available in their delightful âMaman and Meâ cookbook
Roya Shariat and her mother, Gita Sadeh, co-wrote the cookbook "Maman and Me" which features Iranian-American recipes. The cookbook showcases a blend of classic Iranian dishes, like tahdigs, as well as recipes with Western influences, such as orange and cardamom French Toast, which has been a reader favorite.
Shariat understands that the book will probably be categorized as Middle Eastern, a term often used to describe countries from North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula to Iran. However, in her cookbook, she proposes that "Southwest Asia" is a more appropriate classification for the region. According to Shariat, the term "Middle East" was created by the British and lacks meaningful significance from a non-Western perspective. She emphasizes the importance of using language intentionally in her writing.
Shariat has never been to Iran, a country her parents left in 1985 for the United States, though she says she'd love to visit someday. The 30-year-old grew up in Maryland but her connection with her heritage is rooted in cooking.
The mother and daughter's"everyday cucumber and tomato salad."
Farrah Skeiky
Gita Sadeh's daughter shared that for her mother, food was a way to stay connected to the country she had left behind. She would often talk about how she started helping with cooking as soon as she was tall enough to reach the stove, showing a natural inclination towards the kitchen from a young age.
Food and language
Sadeh relocated to Tehran to attend university, and it was there that her talent for creating simple student meals evolved into preparing elaborate feasts for her friends. After starting a new life in America, she continued to cook a mix of Iranian and Western dishes, connecting her present to her past through her culinary creations.
Shariat's culinary journey followed a similar path. She learned the basics of cooking while spending time in her mom's kitchen as a young child. The unique French Toast recipe in the book was inspired by a Mommy and Me cooking class that Shariat attended with her mother when she was little.
"Growing up in America and being raised outside of Iran, food and language were my lifeline to the country," Shariat explains.
"Speaking Farsi and being able to cook our traditional recipes was a way for me to feel connected to home," she explains. "As a third-culture kid, you don't fully belong to either the American or Iranian culture, so you need something that grounds you and reminds you of home. For me, food was that anchor."
Spring herb frittatas are one of the recipes featured in the new book.
Farrah Skeiky, an executive at Glossier beauty brand, had long harbored a dream of creating her own cookbook. It wasn't until the Covid-19 pandemic that her vision finally took shape, as she started sharing TikTok videos from her mother's kitchen.
"I've had the desire to write a cookbook since my teenage years," Shariat reveals. "It was actually during the pandemic when I began recording videos of my mother's cooking and her exquisite tahdig."
Returning home to her parents for Iranian new year, which happened to align with the beginning of the pandemic, Shariat found herself staying in Maryland for two months. This experience of hunkering down with her parents as an adult felt particularly meaningful to her.
She knew she wouldn't get this time back, so she started capturing moments through photos and videos, focusing on fun clips of her mom in the kitchen. This coincided with TikTok's surge in popularity, as many people were isolated at home.
After posting a viral video of her mom making a simple chicken stew, Shariat gained several thousand followers and her account now has nearly 200,000 followers with millions of views on her short videos. She also created a popular Instagram page called "Maman and Me" and eventually published a book with the same name, inspired by her online success.
Third-culture cooking
After finding success on TikTok, the pair have published a book.
Courtesy Roya Shariat
Viewers are captivated by Sadeh's energetic presence in the kitchen, as well as the dynamic between mother and daughter. The unique blend of third-culture cooking, which reflects a longing for their homeland while embracing their new one, is a key part of the appeal. Shariat is confident that a cooking show based on the book would be well-received, as people have already shown a strong interest in her mother's cooking, affectionately referring to her as "our mom."
Sadeh, who doesn't use TikTok, was surprised and amused by the unexpected wave of attention.
"My parents were really impressed," Shariat explains. She shares specific TikTok moments or milestone views with them. "[My mom] laughs, she cries, and even gives me suggestions for comment replies!"
The book caters to both Shariat's and Sadeh's generations, featuring a blend of Iranian and Iranian-American cuisine. It serves as a modern cookbook, offering a mix of traditional dishes and easy weeknight dinner ideas. Additionally, it includes recipes for snacks, cocktails, and finger foods, such as the popular Chips and Greek Yogurt Dip. Notable dishes featured in the book are a spiced red lentil soup and a turmeric rice dish, both captured through the lens of the Arab-American photographer Farrah Skeiky.
I inquired with Shariat about her mother's reaction upon seeing the book for the first time, after having lived in the US for 38 years. Shariat mentioned that there is a video of her parents viewing the book's PDF for the first time, during which the dedication was the first thing they saw. The dedication reads: "This book is a tribute to all the immigrant parents and caretakers who left their homes for a foreign landâ¦.Maman and Baba, this ones for you." Shariat shared that when her parents saw the dedication, her mother's voice cracked and she immediately began to cry.
"Everything I feel like I do is to thank [my parents] for their immense courage [and] tenacity - all of the amazing things that immigrant parents so often give to their children."
