Upon entering each city of Iran, you will have the opportunity to experience a new world of flavors. An escape from repetitive taste and flavor, Persian cuisine offers a magical gastronomic world of fragrant, diverse and highly refined dishes. Iran has a lot to offer to the foodie travelers. Probably you taste tapas in Spain, Sushi in Japan, pasta in Italy, but surely, you will savor the taste of Persian kebab or the color of Ghorme sabzi.
All the cities of Iran are unique in terms of food diversity, but the north and south get most attention. Gilan in north of Iran is famous not only for its beauty as it lies along the Caspian Sea, but also as a creative city of gastronomy in UNESCO. With 220 different types of food, Gilan offers a range of delicious cuisine whose taste and smell cannot easily be ignored. The south of Iran is known for its delicious food making traveling to this region even more enjoyable. Indeed, the south with its magnificent Persian Gulf and extraordinary tourist attractions along with various, spicy and colorful dishes all combine to create a truly memorable experience.
Probably, the first dish that every tourist likes to try in Iran is Persian Kebab which is extremely popular. It is made of lamb or beef, mixed with minced onion and pepper and can be eaten with rice or bread and basil.
Another famous stew in Iran is Gheimeh which is basically made up of meat, split peas along with tomato paste, onion, spice and dried lime. French fries are a must with this food; however, some replace fries with eggplant. This stew is also used in particular ceremonies such as Moharram and mostly famous as Gheime Nazri (a free food that is given by individuals or private groups in some religious ceremonies such as Ashura, Tasua etc.)
This authentic traditional Iranian food is made with different ingredients. Some relish cooking it with meatball or chicken, although in north Iran, Fesenjan usually is cooked with duck. It could be cooked both sour or sweet depends on people’s taste. Importantly, walnut and pomegranate are two main ingredients of Fesenjan.
This herb stew, not only for its taste but also its fabulous aroma makes it one of the most cherished dishes amongst Iranians and tourists alike. The special flavors of vegetables such as parsley, coriander, fenugreek, chives and spinach play a crucial role in creating this savory and aromatic stew. Mainly, meat (lamb or veal) is included in its ingredients.
Rib kebab (Dandeh kabab), which is made up of a large amount of lamb ribs is one of the most authentic tasty kebabs of Iran and is one of the most popular dishes of Kermanshah province.
When it comes to traditional foods, Abgoosht is the first one that comes to mind. Ab is water and goosht is meat, consisting of lamb and lamb fat, chickpeas, white beans, tomato, onion, potatoes, spice besides the dried lime which is added at the end of cooking. The delicious, beloved Dizi is eaten with bread (especially, Sangak which is an Iranian traditional bread), vegetables (Sabzi), onion and Doogh (traditional Iranian drink). Meanwhile, as a first step, bread should be chopped into broth called (Tilit) and then the rest of ingredients are mashed (goosht kubideh). Older generations have eaten Dizi in clay, stone bowls which is less popular nowadays.
An appetizing Iranian food, Tahchin, due to its attractive appearance and taste is enjoyed by all. In appearance, the combination of white (color of rice) and yellow (color of saffron) is really eye-catching and also its delicious taste is nothing other than pleasant to the senses. Tahchin is composed of rice, yogurt, saffron, egg and chicken fillet. What a scrumptious mixture…
A food that is almost a staple on Iranian tables is finger-licking Zereshk Polo, where the sweet and sour flavor of Zeresh (barberries) adjacent to the unique flavor of saffron combined with rice and chicken creates a memorable gastronomic experience. This is the food mostly served at Iranian ceremonies including weddings and other celebrations.
A fantastic northern dish, Baghali Ghatogh, is a palatable, traditional dish, where bright-green fava beans, fragrant dill and a considerable number of garlic are combined with eggs to create a truly delicious meal. This delightful stew is served with rice or the famous Gilani rice (kate), pickled garlic, olives, yogurt and cucumber.
Travel to the south would not be complete without experiencing one of the traditional, flavorful southern dishes, Ghalieh Mahi. In this spicy stew, fish play an important role. Different kinds of fish along with vegetables such as, coriander and fenugreek, onion, pepper, turmeric, garlic, oil and tomato paste could definitely please sea food lovers. Meanwhile, Tamarind is also added in order to make a sour taste. Ghalieh Mahi can be served either with bread or rice. This is for you to decide.
