Seventy in Switzerland

After a gap of nearly one year, Zoroastrians in Switzerland were happy to meet up once again on August 21, 2022 to jointly celebrate Khordad Sal as per the Shahenshahi calendar. Of the nearly 70 who assembled at Urban Spice, a restaurant in Zurich owned by the Antalia family, the eldest was 73-year-old Fali Roowala who has been residing in Switzerland since 1979 and 71-year-old Rati Surti Puz who will complete 50 years in Switzerland in 2024. Of the nearly 20 children in attendance, the youngest was three-month-old Jehaan Shroff, noted a write-up by Switzerland resident Khushnum Master.

Zoroastrian families enjoy a feast in Zurich

"We had families… quite a few couples with non-Parsi spouses… join us from Geneva (224 km away), Ticino (215 km), Neuchatel (151 km), St Gallen (63 km), and of course the Zurich area,” she stated. "Along with the customary meeting and greeting we gorged on snacks such as pani puri, sev puri, mini chicken farchas, kheema bruschetta followed by a scrumptious buffet lunch of mora dal chaval, khichri and saas ni machhi, tava paneer, afghani chicken, naans and lots more. Of course no meal is complete without dessert and we had our fill of Parsi sev, jalebis and ice cream. The menu was carefully planned by Rustom and his mother Gulcher Antalia and needless to say was outstanding… We hope to keep up the festivities every year,” noted Master.
The Antalia family owns several other Indian restaurants in Switzerland and a hotel in Engelberg. Each time Parsiana has contacted the Antalia family for information on their presence in the hospitality industry, they assure us of a response at a later date.