Gaz is traditional candies made in Isfahan, and it is the first Iranian product that was exported and presented to the world during the time of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. Gaz for the first time was made in Isfahan around the year of 1941 after mixing equal amounts of sugar, sap of angebin plant (tamarisk, astragalus), egg white and pistachio or almond kernels.
Around the year 1954 Chinese liquid glucose (corn syrup) entered Iran, caught attention of the Isfahan’s gaz makers and they started to use it in gaz production. The word “gaz” comes from Persian verb “gazidan” which means “to bite”. Sweet gaz of Isfahan is being associated and identified with an amazing nectar called “angebin” or “gazangebin” which comes from the plants with the same name found around the city of Khvansar or in the area of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.
At the foothills of Zagros mountains particular insects reside which feed on astragalus plants sap and transform its tragacanth sugar into gazangebin substance. So the producer of gazangabin nectar is a small insect no bigger than a mosquito that lives on the stems or leaves of the gazangabin plants. This insect feeds on the sap and produces honeydew – gazangabin nectar. Finally, at the end of September, when cool autumn winds start to blow, shining yellowish grains size of a millet seed form on the gazangebin plants and are called gazangebin nectar.
The gaz candies made in the area of Isfahan are called so also because of this honeydew found specifically on these kind of plants. Gazangebin nectar is one of the few fructose sugars found in nature and because of this it is so valuable. The price of gaz candies made from gazangebin nectar is very high, so usually in gaz production glucose, rosewater, egg whites, sugar, pistachio, almond, hazelnut or pussy willow sugar candies are used, and in order to fill the shortage of gazangebin, other natural angebins are used, such as herbal sap, manna of hedysarum or honey.
Name Gazangebin
Type A white and honey-like edible substance
Producing Factor the nymph of Cyamophila Astragalicola Insect
Name of the Producing Tree Mann Tree (Goon or Khar Angebin)
