With a population of just over 100,000, Thunder Bay in north-western Ontario has the reputation of being a small and isolated, yet friendly, city struggling after the decline of its forestry and manufacturing industries in recent years. Nature enthusiasts are drawn to its location on the shores of the world’s largest freshwater lake surrounded by thousands of kilometres of rugged wilderness for camping, hiking, fishing and sailing.  

Food enthusiasts, however, come here in search of one or two (dozen) of Thunder Bay’s Persians — rich sweet buns flavoured with cinnamon and decorated with a distinctive pink icing. This original pastry is so well-loved that locals who move away order boxfuls to be mailed to them, and so iconic that people driving through invariably stop to ask for the dessert that is not found in any other city in the country. Thunder Bay has an unofficial monopoly on Persians and selling them anywhere else is deemed a sacrilege.

But why are they called Persians? There is no person of that ethnicity connected to its creation or sale and there isn’t even a sizeable Persian community in the area! When I shared photos with some Persian-speaking friends in Toronto they wondered if the pink icing is made with pomegranate and perhaps that explains the name. Apparently that is not the case — a berry jam is responsible for the pink hue though no one knows for sure if it’s strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or a mix of all three.

Why the sweet buns are called ‘Persians’ is not known, but they are delightful to eat

No one except Art Bennett, the now deceased owner of Bennett’s Bakery, first created the pastry in the mid-1940s. Members of the Nucci family, later bought the business and the recipe from Bennett. Ownership of the bakery may have changed hands, but the Persians are still authentic and sell “at least a hundred dozen-plus a day” at the bakery and its adjoining coffee shop, The Persian Man.

Walking into The Persian Man felt something akin to arriving at mythical Camelot: after spending many hours on the road, the legendary Persian was finally within reach. We were fortunate to have missed the morning line-ups, although there were few empty chairs to be found even close to mid-day. Some wraps and sandwiches were available for order on a side counter, but an overhead signboard above the main counter proudly announced “Persians & Coffee.” Large steel trays loaded with the treat were everywhere; their sight and sweet yeasty smell inciting even the nonchalant customer. There was nothing nonchalant about biting into the first Persian: so deceptively light and excitingly fragrant with a fruity icing on top. The staff were only mildly amused, because for them overexcited out-of-towners are a common occurrence at their establishment.

No one could definitively provide an explanation for the name, but one of the theories is that it was named in response to a cream-filled donut named the Bismarck, after the famed 19th-century German statesman. It was a time when anti-German sentiment was high and honouring an Allied general of World War I, named John J. Pershing, was needed to unify and motivate the community.

The quest for Thunder Bay’s curiously-named Persians is among some of the most memorable adventures undertaken during the last more than four years of writing in this space. From sharing recipes for cold soups and benefits of cinnamon to discussing the misappropriation of hummus and the kebab invasion of Europe, it has been a pleasure and an honour to share my food adventures. But now the adventures are veering back into the academic direction so, for a while at least, I must step down. Though not before first reminding you what Horace once said: “The chief pleasure in eating does not consist in costly seasoning or exquisite flavour, but in yourself.”

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 26th, 2018