What it means
سفره یکبار مصرف (sofre-ye yak-bâr-masraf) is a disposable tablecloth or single-use dining spread, sold in rolls or folded sheets and used for outdoor meals, picnics, and large celebratory gatherings where washing a cloth is impractical. سفره (sofre) comes from Arabic sufra, meaning the cloth spread on the floor on which food is served. یکبار (yak-bâr) means one time, using the pure Persian yak (one) and bâr (time). مصرف (masraf) means consumption or use, from Arabic. Together the phrase means literally one-time-use sofre. A close related term is سفره یکبار مصرف پلاستیکی (sofre-ye yak-bâr-masraf-e pelâstiki) when the material is explicitly plastic.
How to use it
- برای پیکنیک سفره یکبار مصرف بگیر. (Barâ-ye piknik sofre-ye yak-bâr-masraf begir.) “Get a disposable tablecloth for the picnic.”
- سفره یکبار مصرف رو از سوپرمارکت خریدم. (Sofre-ye yak-bâr-masraf ro az supermarket kharid-am.) “I bought a disposable tablecloth from the supermarket.”
- اینا سفرههای یکبار مصرفن، بعد از غذا دورشون بنداز. (Inâ sofre-hâ-ye yak-bâr masrafan, ba’d az ghazâ durashun bendâz.) “These are disposable tablecloths, throw them away after the meal.”
- برای عروسی سفره یکبار مصرف سفید گرفتیم. (Barâ-ye arusi sofre-ye yak-bâr-masraf-e sefid gereftim.) “For the wedding we got white disposable tablecloths.”
Cultural note
The sofreh is central to Iranian dining culture. In traditional settings, a large cloth is spread on the floor and everyone sits around it to eat together, a practice still common in many homes and at ceremonial occasions. Disposable versions became widespread with the growth of Iranian outdoor culture, particularly Sizdah Bedar, the thirteenth day of Nowruz when families picnic outdoors, and large communal gatherings. The disposable sofreh preserves the cultural form of communal floor-seating dining while eliminating laundry, making it practical for events serving hundreds of guests.