What do Star Wars, the Last Airbender, and Super Mario have in common? According to Varta Melon, they all belong on tahdig. Melon is a Chicago-based baker and blogger. But what started as a food blog to introduce followers to Persian cuisine has transformed into an Instagram account that documents just how innovation and artistic tahdig—a traditional Iranian dish made of slightly burnt rice—can be. “At the end of the day, it’s a fried carb, and fried carbs will always do well,” says Melon. “You take any sort of comfort…
