Kolche ab-e-dandaan کلچه آب دندان is an Afghan and Persian cookie from the province of Mazandaran.

This round and crumbly cookie made with rice flour, butter or oil, sugar, and pistachios is a classic in Afghanistan traditionally baked for Nowruz and was to be served to guests.

This is a gluten-free cookie.

The term kulcha (or kolche) in Persian describes a disk-shaped bread, a bun, or even a cookie, while in India it refers to a round bread.

Nowruz is a significant New Year celebration in Afghanistan, Iran, and throughout Central Asia. 

The festival coincides with the spring equinox in March and, just like the full cycle of the seasons, it symbolizes rebirth. 

Predating Islam, Nowruz is an ancient celebration rooted in Zoroastrianism, whose spiritual homeland is said to be Balkh, in Afghanistan. 

The color associated with Nowruz is green, reflecting the Zoroastrian tradition of marking the spring equinox and celebrating the new life it brings.

The Kolcheh Nowrozi, or kolcha-e-berenji, also pistachio cookies prepared for the celebration, also add rose water and use only butter as fat.

Kethayee are similar cookies made famous by the  book PARWANA, released in 2019, written by Durkhanai Ayubi, the youngest daughter of a refugee family who opened a restaurant in Australia in 2009, specializing in her mother Farida’s home recipes, instead have wheat flour, powdered milk and are egg-free.

In Afghanistan, and in northeastern Iran, they are instead called: kulcha-e-khataye cardamom cookies with wheat flour, chickpea flour, and semolina, known in India as: