Lavashak or Persian fruit leather is one of Iranians’ favourite snacks. Iranians love foods that have a rich taste, whether it’s a sweet taste as you can see in most Persian pastries or rich sour taste like pickled vegetables or Gharaghoroot. Persian fruit leather is basically a fruit roll with a rich sour and salty taste. Here is all you need to know about this delicious treat:

What is Lavashak?

Lavashak or fruit leather is made of different fruits. A thick extract of fruits is made and then dried in order to make Lavashak. In the old days, people mashed the excess amount of fruits and dried it under the sun and that is how Lavashak was first made. During the time, different combinations of fruit and additives have been used to make Lavashak. Even industrial methods have been used, however, the basis is more or less the same.

Why is it called Lavashak?

The extraction made of fruits is poured on a tray to form a thin layer. The name Lavashak refers to its resemblance to Lavash bread which is a type of Persian bread that is also very thin.

When do Iranians make Lavashak?

Iranians usually make Lavashak at the end of summer, this is due to several reasons. First, from the old times, Iranians used to dry fruits or make fruit leather in the summer to be able to access fruit supplies in winter. This has remained a tradition ever since. Another reason is the great variety of fruits in the summer resulting in fruit rolls with different flavours. Also, the summer climate is hot and dry which makes the process of drying Lavashak easy and fast.

What are the ingredients of Lavashak?

The main ingredient to make Persian fruit leather is fruit. You can make Lavashak with any fleshy fruit you like. You can even mix several kinds of fruit and get a brand new flavour. The other ingredient is salt. Salt is added both for giving Lavashak a rich taste and also to prolong its storage time.

In the industrial methods of making Laavashaak, some additives like citric acid or food colourings are used to give Lavashak a rich taste and colour.

 

Which fruits are the best for making Persian fruit leather?

Ripe fruits such as plums or sour cherries are the best for making Lavashak. Fruits need to be baked and then mashed in order to make Lavashak, therefore ripe ones require less time. Iranians usually make Lavashak with the extra amount of fruits before they go bad.

persian fruit leather fruits

What is Persian fruit leather good for?

Lavashak is a good snack for everyone and it’s usually popular with kids. Depending on the fruit it is made of, Lavashak can have different effects on health. For instance, barberries are good to control blood sugar and blood pressure and the fruit leather made of barberries has the same effects. Lavashak is high in fibre, therefore it plays a great role in digestive health.

Keep in mind that fruit leather can never completely replace fresh fruits because of the making process which destroys some of the nutrients like vitamins.

Also, homemade Lavashaks are healthier than industrial ones. The excess amount of salt and other additives in industrial fruit leathers can be bad for health.

How to make Lavashak?

One of the most popular kinds of Persian fruit leather is made with plums. Lavashak made with plum alone is quite sour, therefore to balance the taste a few apples are added.

To make Lavashak, fruits should be well washed. The stem parts and leaves should be removed. It is also better to remove the skin of fruits like apples which are easy to peel. However, it is not necessary.

Fruits for Cherry Lavashak, Persian fruit leather

Slice the fruit into small pieces and remove the seeds if possible.

Put the fruits in a pot and pour in a little amount of water. Put on mild heat and stir frequently until the fruits are well baked and easily mashed.

cooking Lavashak, persian fruit leather at home

You can add salt at this point. Try adding salt little by little and keep tasting the mixture to avoid extra amounts of salt.

Pour the mashed mixture into a sieve to separate the remaining seeds and fruit peels and to form a smooth mixture.

removing fruit seed for Lavashak, persian fruit leather

Lavashak, persian fruit leather

The fruit mixture is ready to get dried. To prepare the tray you may grease it with a little amount of oil, put a plastic layer or simply put a silicon pad. Pour the fruit mixture on the tray evenly. You can decide how thick you want your Lavashak to be; the ideal thickness is about three to four millimetres.

Pouring Lavashak, persian fruit leather

The traditional way to dry the fruit leather is to leave it in a hot and dry place and wait for it to get dry. Iranians usually put the trays under the sunlight or in front of a fan airflow.

Drying Lavashak under the sun

Notes

Instead of sieving the mixture, you can also remove the seeds and blend the whole mixture to get to a velvety texture.

you can also bake the mixture in the oven to speed up the drying process. Put the tray in the oven, use very low heat and let it get dried for a couple of hours.

Lavashak | Persian fruit leather

Atoosa Moaddab
Lavashak or Persian fruit leather is an Iranian all-time favourite snack. It's a thin layer of dried fruit extract with sour and salty taste.
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 3 hrs
Course Snack
Cuisine Persian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 KG plum
  • 2 apples
  • 1/4 cup water
  • salt as required

Instructions
 

  • Wash the fruits. Remove stem parts, seeds and peels.
  • Put the fruits in a pot. Pour in the water and put on low heat.
  • When the fruit gets mashed, sieve or blend the mixture to form a smooth mix.
  • Prepare a tray by greasing it, using a plastic layer or a silicon pad. Pour the fruit mixture evenly on the tray until it is 3-4 millimetres.
  • Dry the mixture at room temperature for several days or in the oven at low heat for several hours.
  • Your Lavashak is ready when the fruit mixture does not stick to your finger. You can continue the drying process to get to a crispier fruit leather.
Keyword lavashak, persian fruit leather