Gilchrist: Age-old Persian bread a highlight of new Kurdish restaurant - most popular chicken dishes in major restaurants

When Saman, Salah and Fozieh Shamami considered opening a Kurdish Sandak bakery, they investigated the possibility of them operating their painting business in Vancouver.
They quickly realized that there were already many Persian and Kurdish baking shops on the coast, so they looked east at Calgary.
There are fewer fresh choices here.
Baked Sanga, flat, rectangular (or oblong)
Bread of Persia
For more than 1,000 years, sangak has been a pillar of the Persian army.
It is a simple dough made of whole wheat or white flour, water and yeast or sour dough. (
On Sunday, Saman made sangak with whole wheat flour;
The rest of the week is made of white flour. )
It may be normal, or it may be sesame seeds or poppy seeds, baked on a small stone bed.
Every soldier in the army will carry a stone, and every night they will collect the stone into a bed and bake sangak on the bed. It was —and still is —
Most often eat with mutton skewers.
The Shamami family opens in the back row of the Little Saigon mall at 4909 17 th Avenue. S. E.
Opened the Saman restaurant and the Sanga Bakery (403-248-1300)last September.
Now, their bakery produces Sangak for stores in Edmonton and the province of SA.
They also made a series of Persian sweets and there was plenty of room to run 50-Seating restaurant.
This space, once a Portuguese store, was completely redesigned.
Now that the movement of the red and green walls has been completed, there is a small stage in a corner on Saturday for live music performances.
It starts at 7 in the morning and opens from Tuesday to Sunday. m.
A short menu of Persian and Kurdish dishes is served throughout the evening.
One of Salman's most popular dishes is the all-
One-day breakfast of Kale pache, a soup made of mutton tongue, eyes and hoof, served with sangak ($14).
The head of the lamb was stewed for five hours.
For those who don't get into the sheep head, and halimxa0-
Turkey and wheat supplied by Sangak ($6).
For lunch and dinner, you will find diz-
Lamb meat with chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes and tomato sauce, marinated garlic and vegetables ($14).
Or roast beef, boneless chicken breast and cucumber, onion and tomato salad shirt with fresh herbal dressing.
Plus the process of sangak.
There are plenty of dessert options such as kishmishi raisin cookies, Persian puffs pastries and fresh nuts.
Saman accepts reservations and does not provide alcoholic beverages.
Saman sits next door to one of Calgary's longest hotels
Restaurant-Mimo.
John and Isabel da Costa and their families have been operating Mimo since February 1985. (
The shopping center at that time was called the Portuguese Square. )
In a few weeks, they will mark their 33 th anniversary by doing what they have done over 30 years --
Strive to serve delicious Portuguese cuisine to many of their fans.
There have been two parts of Mimo-
Restaurant and Lounge.
Last year, Da Costas changed the room, leaving the lounge in a smaller space in front of the restaurant, and the restaurant in a larger space in the back.
This makes it easier to handle some of the larger parties in the booking space.
The atmosphere is very Portuguese in both rooms, with a strong peri-
Peri sauce and brandyflamed, house-
With the soulful fado music, the chorus is filled with air.
To compensate for the departure of the store next door, Da Costas added a small Portuguese store of its own, where you can buy necessities such as azeite olive oil, Portuguese peppers, cheese and baked goods.
But the main reason for coming to Mimo is still Isabel da Costa's porkand-
The clam casserole, roast chicken and scallion seafood paella have good Portuguese wine and caramel pie.
The food here is different from other food in the city.
People are also returning to Mimo because of Da cost's hospitality.
Mimo remains the backbone of the Portuguese community and a good example of a long life in local dining venues.
John Gilcrist can be reached at escurial @ telus. net or at 403-235-