There is a lovely story told about the Zoroastrians who first arrived in the subcontinent in the 8th century to escape persecution in their native Persia. Jadi Rana, the Raja of Gujarat was not too excited to welcome them. “My land is already overpopulated. Where will we find space for you?” he wanted to know.

The leader of the Zoroastrians requested a cup filled to the brim with milk and a spoonful of sugar. Upon receiving them, he carefully stirred the sugar into the milk without spilling a single drop. He then answered the Raja’s question: “We are like the sugar. We will only sweeten your country.”

Zoroastrians of Pakistan and India have certainly lived up to that promise. The small but highly industrious community has produced, among many others, renowned diplomat (and cricket commentator) Jamsheed Marker, fiery newspaper columnist Ardeshir Cowasjee and powerful industrialist Jamsetji Tata.

Community members also founded and endowed prestigious educational institutions such as Mama Parsi Girls’ School and B.V.S Parsi High School — to name just a few — that have strengthened society many-fold.

And now Zoroastrians look set to do the same in Ontario, Canada. I first learned of the Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation (OZCF) when a friend invited me to her community’s upcoming food fair. Authentic home-cooked food would be available for sale, she said, to celebrate Parsi culture and also to raise funds for the organisation. The OZCF food fair menu offered, besides dhansak, delicacies such as bhayja cutlets and prawn achar. How could anyone resist?

Teenaz Javat, a friend and fellow journalist had once patiently explained the difference between Zoroastrian and Parsi. The former is a religious designation, the latter a cultural one. Zoroastrians who immigrated to India in the 8th century or soon after are referred to as Parsis. Those who arrived from Iran more recently, in the 19th or even 20th century, identify themselves as Iranis. The two groups may have certain cultural distinctions, but when it comes to food it seems to be all the same.

The e-invite had stated that the fair would go from 11am to 5pm. But upon entering the very crowded OZCF hall at 1pm, I discovered that the food stalls had been wiped almost clean. The fair, the first of its kind, had proved so popular that those who had been wise enough to arrive within the first hour or so had bought and consumed most of the goods.

Fortunately the Scouts’ table still had some takeaway boxes of Salli Pur Eeda. A perfect breakfast, lunch or even dinner, Salli Pur Eeda is best described as a small heap of cooked potato shreds mixed with a spiced tomato and onion paste, and the whole thing gently fried with an egg on top. It’s like the subcontinent’s version of Jewish latkes. The egg though gives it a distinctly Parsi touch.

On the next table a lady was busy ladling dhansak onto mounds of boiled rice. Happy to see a familiar favourite, I was just slightly less enthused by the handwritten sign that lay next to her large pot. “Vegetarian Dhansak” it said, causing one to wonder that such an option even existed. The warm and spicy lentil mix was still welcome on a cold winter day — even minus hearty chunks of mutton or chicken.

I even managed to score a couple of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Not traditional fare exactly, but made by a Parsi lady all the same. And anyone from Karachi knows that Parsi ladies were once the only and most reliable providers of quality baked goods in that city.

Feeling fairly well fed by this point, I asked a group of people about the other building on the OZCF grounds. One of them, Farhad Nagarwala, kindly offered to be my guide on a tour of the said grounds. Thanks to him I was even able to stand in the doorway of the other building — which turned out to be a temporary Zoroastrian temple.

Finally I was able to get a hold of Havovi Bharda, who had organised the food fair including its extensive menu, many vendors and advance food orders. A member of the board of directors, she was able to provide some background on OZCF which boasts some 300-plus members.

“Ten years ago 10 community members pitched in money to buy the 10 acres of land we are now standing on. They chose this location on the Mississauga/Oakville border because more and more Zoroastrians were moving into the affluent west end suburbs. Not just those who had initially settled in Toronto, but more so the ones who were coming from Gulf countries.

“There was a time when the community’s focus was on setting up welcome committees to receive immigrants from India and Pakistan. They were offered advice on accommodation, schools for their kids, and even employment opportunities. That need dried up more or less as immigration by way of the Gulf increased.

“Now the need has shifted to keeping the community together and involving our children in its activities. Food is an important part of any culture, and Parsis do love their food! There are several traditional dishes we don’t cook in our North American kitchens because they are too time-consuming or too complex. This fair was a great opportunity to get everyone excited about cooking, selling and eating our authentic food.

“In fact this event has proved to be so popular that we plan to hold the next food fair in March. Zoroastrians living as far as New York and New Jersey have expressed interest in attending. Many advance orders for food items were placed this time. We expect many more for the next one. All this is great news for OZCF, especially in terms of raising funds for our various development plans.

“Come again for the food fair in March,” she said, “Place an order in advance even”.

Bhayja cutlets, see you then.