The story
Gaz is the nougat of Isfahan, the old Safavid capital famed for its vast square and blue-tiled mosques. Its name is short for gaz-angobin, gaz honey, the sticky white substance gathered from shrubs in the Zagros Mountains west of the city. People long took it for plant sap or a kind of manna; it is in fact honeydew left by tiny insects. Isfahan's confectioners began beating it with egg white, rosewater and pistachios or almonds around 450 years ago, in the Safavid era, and under the Qajars gaz was sent as a gift to Persian and Ottoman officials. Most gaz today uses sugar and glucose instead.
Also known as Persian nougat, گز, gaz angabin, man wa salwa.
On the Meridish menu
Gaz was the dessert course on menu No. 31 on October 31, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Chewy nougat full of pistachios and rosewater, once sweetened with sticky manna gathered from mountain shrubs. Its city is famed for a vast square and blue-tiled mosques.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
