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Iranian cuisine comprises the culinary traditions ofIran. Due to the historically common usage of the term "Persia" to refer to Iran in theWestern world,[2][3][4] it is alternatively known asPersian cuisine, despitePersians being only one of a multitude ofIranian ethnic groups who have contributed to Iran's culinary traditions.[a]
Iran has a rich variety of traditional dishes,[6] and has influenced many other cuisines over the ages, among themCaucasian cuisine,Central Asian cuisine,Greek cuisine,Levantine cuisine,Mesopotamian cuisine,Russian cuisine andTurkish cuisine.[7][8][9][10] Aspects of Iranian cuisine have also been significantly adopted byIndian cuisine andPakistani cuisine through various historicalPersianate sultanates that flourished duringMuslim rule on the Indian subcontinent, most significantly theMughal Empire.[11][12][13]
Typical Iranian main dishes are combinations ofrice withmeat,vegetables andnuts.Herbs are frequently used, such asparsley,fenugreek,chives,mint,savory andcoriander, in their fresh and dried forms. Another consistent feature of Persian cuisine is the abundant use of fruits, in combination with various meats as well as in rice dishes; the most commonly used fruits includeplums,pomegranates,quince,prunes,apricots,barberries, andraisins. Characteristic Iranian spices and flavourings such assaffron,cardamom, anddried lime and other sources of sour flavoring,cinnamon,turmeric andparsley are mixed and used in various dishes.
Outside of Iran, Iranian cuisine can be found in cities with significantIranian diaspora populations, namelyLondon, theSan Francisco Bay Area,Washington Metropolitan Area,Vancouver,Toronto,[14][15][16][17]Houston and especiallyLos Angeles and its environs.[14][15][18]
Among the writings available from theMiddle Persian scripts, the treatise ofKhosrow and Ridag, points about stews and foods and the way of using them and how they are obtained in theSassanid period are found as valid references in compiling the history of cooking in Iran. The names of many of the Iranian dishes and culinary terms that have been translated can be seen in Arabic language books. Naturally the customs and habits of the Arabs influenced the Iranians,[citation needed] specifically in theAbbasid period.
Ancient Persian philosophers and physicians have influenced the preparation of Iranian foods to follow the rules of the strengthening and weakening characteristics of foods based on theIranian traditional medicine.[19]
Although the Arabic cookbooks (e.g.Kitab al-Tabikh) written under the rule of theAbbasid Caliphate—one of the Arab caliphates which ruled Iran after theMuslim invasion—include some recipes withIranian names, the earliest surviving classical cookbooks inPersian are two volumes from theSafavid period. The older one is entitled "Manual on cooking and its craft" (Kār-nāmeh dar bāb e tabbāxī va sanat e ān) written in 927/1521 for an aristocratic patron at the end of the reign ofIsmail I. The book originally contained 26 chapters, listed by the author in his introduction, but chapters 23 through 26 are missing from the surviving manuscript. The recipes include measurements for ingredients—often detailed directions for the preparation of dishes, including the types of utensils and pots to be used—and instructions for decorating and serving them. In general, the ingredients and their combinations in various recipes do not differ significantly from those in use today. The large quantities specified, as well as the generous use of such luxury ingredients assaffron, suggest that these dishes were prepared for large aristocratic households, even though in his introduction, the author claimed to have written it "for the benefit of the nobility, as well as the public."
The second surviving Safavid cookbook, entitled "The substance of life, a treatise on the art of cooking" (Māddat al-ḥayāt, resāla dar ʿelm e ṭabbāxī), was written about 76 years later by a chef forAbbas I. The introduction of that book includes elaborate praise of God, the prophets, theimams, and theshah, as well as a definition of a master chef. It is followed by six chapters on the preparation of various dishes: four on rice dishes, one on qalya, and one on āsh. The measurements and directions are not as detailed as in the earlier book. The information provided is about dishes prepared at the royal court, including references to a few that had been created or improved by the shahs themselves. Other contemporary cooks and their specialties are also mentioned.[20]
The usage of rice, at first a specialty of theSafavid Empire's court cuisine, evolved by the end of the 16th century CE into a major branch of Iranian cookery.[21] Traditionally, rice was most prevalent as a majorstaple item in northern Iran and the homes of the wealthy, while bread was the dominant staple in the rest of the country.
Varieties of rice in Iran includegerde,domsia (literally meaning black-tail, because it is black at one end),champa, doodi (smoked rice), Lenjan (fromLenjan County), Tarom (fromTarom County), and anbarbu.
The following table includes three primary methods of cooking rice in Iran.
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Polow andchelow | Chelow is plain rice served as an accompaniment to a stew or kebab, while polow is rice mixed with something. They are, however, cooked in the same way. Rice is prepared by soaking in salted water and then boiling it. The parboiled rice (calledchelow) is drained and returned to the pot to be steamed. This method results in exceptionally fluffy rice, with the rice grains separated and not sticky. A golden crust calledtahdig or tadig is created at the bottom of the pot using a thin layer of bread or potato slices. Often, tahdig is served plain with only a rice crust. Meat, vegetables, nuts, and fruit are sometimes added in layers or mixed with the chelow and then steamed. When chelow is in the pot, the heat is reduced, and a thick cloth or towel is placed under the pot lid to absorb excess steam. |
| Kateh | Rice that is cooked until the water is absorbed completely. It is the traditional dish ofGilan Province. |
| Dami | Rice that is cooked almost the same as kateh, but at the start, ingredients that can be cooked thoroughly with the rice (such as grains and beans) are added. While making kateh, the heat is reduced to a minimum until the rice and other ingredients are almost cooked. If kept long enough on the stove without burning and over-cooking, dami and kateh can also produce tahdig. A special form of dami istachin, which is a mixture of yogurt, chicken (or lamb), and rice, plus saffron and egg yolks. |
Second only to rice is the production and use ofwheat. The following table lists several forms offlatbread and pastry bread commonly used in Iranian cuisine.
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Theagriculture of Iran produces many fruits and vegetables. Thus, a bowl of fresh fruit is common on Iranian tables, and vegetables are standard side dishes in most meals. These are not only enjoyed fresh and ripe as desserts but are also combined with meat as accompaniments to main dishes.[24] When fresh fruits are not available, a large variety of dried fruits such asdates,figs,apricots,plums andpeaches are served instead. Southern Iran is one of the world's major date producers, where some specialcultivars such as theBam date are grown.
Vegetables such aspumpkins,spinach,green beans,fava beans,courgette, varieties ofsquash,onion,garlic andcarrot are commonly used in Iranian dishes.Tomatoes,cucumbers andscallion often accompany a meal. While theeggplant is "the potato of Iran",[25] Iranians are fond of fresh green salads dressed witholive oil,lemon juice, salt,chili powder, andgarlic powder.
Fruitdolma is probably a specialty of Iranian cuisine. The fruit is first cooked, then stuffed with meat, seasonings, and sometimes tomato sauce. The dolma is then simmered in meat broth or ascallions sweet-and-sour sauce.[26]
Verjuice, a highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes or other sour fruit, is used in various Iranian dishes.[27] It is mainly used within soup and stew dishes, but also to simmer a type of squash dolma. Unripe grapes are also used whole in some dishes such askhoresh-e ghooreh (lamb stew with sour grapes). As a spice, verjuice powder (pudr-e ghooreh) is sometimes reinforced by verjuice and then dried.
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Advieh orchāshni refers to a wide variety of pungent vegetables and dried fruits that are used in Iranian cuisine to flavor food.
One of the traditional and most widespread Iranian spices issaffron, derived from the flower ofCrocus sativus.Rose water, a flavored water made by steepingrose petals in water, is also a traditional and common ingredient in many Iranian dishes.
Persian hogweed (golpar), which grows wild in the humid mountainous regions of Iran, is used as a spice in various Iranian soups and stews. It is also mixed with vinegar into which broad beans are dipped before eating.
Some other common spices arecardamom, made from the seeds of severalElettaria andAmomum plants;shevid, an annual herb in the celery familyApiaceae;mahleb, an aromatic spice made from the seeds ofPrunus mahaleb; andlimu amani, dried lime.
There are also several traditional combinations of spices, two of which arearde (tahini), made from toasted ground hulled sesame seeds, anddelal sauce, made of heavily salted fresh herbs such as cilantro and parsley.
Typical Iranian cuisine includes a wide variety of dishes, including several forms ofkebab,stew,soup, andpilaf dishes, as well as various salads, desserts, pastries, and drinks.
In Iran, kebabs are served either with rice orwith bread. A dish of chelowwhite rice withkebab is calledchelow kabab, which is considered thenational dish of Iran. The rice can also be prepared using thekateh method, and hence the dish would be calledkateh kebab.
The following table lists several forms of kebab used in Iranian cuisine.
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Khoresh is an Iranian form ofstew, which is usually accompanied by a plate of white rice. A khoresh typically consists of herbs, fruits, and meat pieces, flavored withtomato paste, saffron, andpomegranate juice. Other non-khoresh types of stew such asdizi are accompanied by bread instead of rice.
Several Iranian stew dishes are listed within the following table.
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| Khoresh-e Bamieh:Okra andmeat stew. | Khoresh-e Kadu: Stewedzucchini and meat. |
There are various forms of soup in Iranian cuisine, includingsup e jow (barley soup),sup e esfenaj (spinach soup),sup e qarch (mushroom soup), and several forms of thick soup. A thick soup is referred to asāsh in Iran, which is an Iranian traditional form of soup.[38] Also,shole qalamkar is the Iranian term for "hodge-podge" soup,[39] a soup made of a mixture of various ingredients.
The following table lists a number of soup and āsh dishes in Iranian cuisine.
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Apart from dishes of rice with kebab or stew, there are various rice-based Iranian dishes cooked in the traditional methods of polow and dami.
Polow is thePersian word forpilaf and it is also used in otherIranian languages, in the English language it may have variations in spelling. A polow dish includes rice stuffed with cuts of vegetables, fruits, and beans, usually accompanied by either chicken or red meat. Dami dishes are similar to polow in that they involve various ingredients with rice, however they are cooked using the dami method of cooking the dish all in one pot.
The following are a number of traditional Iranian rice-based dishes:
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In 400 BC, the ancient Iranians invented a special chilled food, made ofrose water andvermicelli, which was served to royalty in summertime.[50] The ice was mixed withsaffron, fruits, and various other flavors. Today, one of the most famous Iranian desserts in the semi-frozen noodle dessert known asfaloodeh, which has its roots in the city ofShiraz, a former capital of the country.[51][52]Bastani e zaferani,Persian for "saffron ice cream", is a traditional Iranian ice cream which is also commonly referred to as "the traditional ice cream". Other typical Iranian desserts include several forms of rice, wheat and dairy desserts.
The following is a list of several Iranian desserts.
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Cookies appear to have their origins in 7th-century Iran, shortly after the use of sugar became relatively common in the region.[54] There are numerous traditional native and adopted types of snack food in modern Iran, of which some are listed within the following table.
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Iran is one of the world's major tea producers,[58][better source needed] mostly cultivated in its northern regions. InIranian culture, tea (čāy) is widely consumed[59][60] and is typically the first thing offered to a guest.[61] Iranians traditionally put a lump ofsugar cube in the mouth before drinking the tea.[62]Rock candies are also widely used, typically flavored withsaffron.
Iran's traditionalcoffee (qahve, orkāfe) is served strong, sweet, and "booby-trapped with a sediment of grounds".[63] In 16th-centurySafavid Iran, coffee was initially used for medical purposes among the society.[64] Traditionalcoffeehouses were popular gatherings, in which people drank coffee, smoked tobacco, and recited poetry—especially the epic poems ofShahnameh.[65] In present-day Iran, cafés are trendy mostly in urban areas, where a variety of brews and desserts are served.[63]Turkish coffee is also popular in Iran, more specifically amongIranian Azeris.[66][67]
Wine (mey) has also a significant presence in Iranian culture.Shirazi wine is Iran's historically most famous wine production, originating from the city ofShiraz.[68][69][70] By the 9th century, the city of Shiraz had already established a reputation for producing the finest wine in the world,[69] and was Iran's wine capital. Since the1979 Revolution, alcoholic beverageshave been prohibited in Iran; though non-Muslim recognized minorities (i.e.Christians,Jews, andZoroastrians) are allowed to produce alcoholic beverages for their own use.[71] While non-alcoholicbeer (ābjow) is available from legal outlets, other citizens prepare their alcoholic beverages illegally through the minority groups[72][73][74] and largely fromIraqi Kurdistan andTurkey.[75]
Araq sagi, literally meaning "doggy distillate", is a type ofdistilled alcoholic beverage in Iran which contains at least 65% pure ethanol. It is usually produced at homes fromraisins, and is similar to Turkishrakı.[76] Prior to the 1979 Revolution, it had been produced traditionally in several cities of Iran. Since it was outlawed following the 1979 Revolution, it has become a black market and underground business.
The following table lists several Iranian cold beverages.
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TheIranian Azerbaijani people, living primarily in the region ofAzerbaijan in northwestern Iran, have a number of local dishes that includeBonab kabab (بوناب کاباب),[80] thedumpling dish ofjoshpara (جوُشپَرا), an offal-based dish named jaqul baqul typically containing liver and heart,[81][82] a variation ofqeyme that is calledpichagh (پیچاققیمه), and a variation ofkufte that is calledTabriz meatballs. There is also the traditional pastry ofshekerbura (شَکَربورا), which is identical toKhorasan'sshekarpare (šekarpāre). The food tastes noticeably Iranian, though also with its own unique features, such as using more lemon juice and butter than other groups of Iranians.[83]
Meat and dates are the main ingredients in the cuisine of Iran's southeastern region ofBaluchistan.[84][85] Rice is primarily cultivated in the region ofMakran.[84][85] Foods that are specific to the Iranian region of Baluchistan include tanurche (tarōnča;tanurče), a local variety of grilled meat that is prepared in atanur, doogh-pa (dōq-pâ), a type ofkhoresh that containsdoogh, and tabahag (tabâhag), that is meat prepared with pomegranate powder.[84][85] Baluchi cuisine also includes several date-based dishes, as well as various types of bread.[84][85]
The southern coast of theCaspian Sea, which consists of the Iranian provinces ofGilan,Mazanderan,Alborz, andGolestan, has a fertile environment that is also reflected in its cuisine.[86][87]Kateh is a method of cooking rice that originates from this region.[88] This type of rice dish is also eaten there as a breakfast meal, either heated with milk and jam or cold with cheese and garlic.Caviar fish roes also hail from this region, and are typically served with eggs infrittatas andomelettes or eaten simply withlavash and butter. Fish is commonly eaten in theGilan province, whereCaspian kutum is a staple[89] and usually served fried[90] along with rice.Smoked fish (Persian: ماهی دودی,Romanized: Mahi doodi) is also popular in Gilan[91] and usually incorporated into rice by steaming the two together.[92] Localcookies (koluče) of the region are popular desert items,[87] particularly those from the region ofFuman. Another notable dessert from this region isReshteh khoshkar (Persian: رشتهخشکار), consisting of friedrice flour dough filled with sugar and nuts.Medlar is also commonly eaten in Gilan[93] and locally referred to as "konos" (Persian: کونوس).
Theregion of Kurdistan in western Iran is home to a variety of localāsh, pilaf, and stew dishes.[94] Some local Kurdish dishes include a traditional grilled rib meat that is calleddande kabāb,[95] a type ofkhoresh made ofchives that is calledxoreš-e tare,[96] and a dish of rice and potatoes that is calledsib polow.[97]
The food of southern Iran is typically spicy.[98]Mahyawa is a tangy sauce made of fermented fish in this region.[citation needed] Being a coastal region,Khuzestan's cuisine includes especially seafood, as well as some unique local beverages.[99] In southern Khuzestan, there is also a variation ofkufte that is known askibbeh and is made of ground meat, cracked wheat, different types of herbs and vegetables and various spices.
Iran'sTurkmen people are predominantly centered in the Iranian provinces ofGolestan andNorth Khorasan.Chegderme (čekderme) is a Turkmen dish made of rice, meat, and tomato paste.[100]
The basic traditional Iranian breakfast consists of a variety of breads such aslavash,taftan andBarbari bread;butter cubes; white cheese; whipped heavy cream (sarshir, often sweetened with honey), nuts (especially walnuts) and a variety of fruit jams and spreads.
Many cities and towns across Iran feature their own distinct versions of breakfast dishes.Pache, a popular traditional dish widely eaten in Iran and the neighboringCaucasus, is almost always only served from three in the morning until sometime after dawn, and specialty restaurants (serving only pache) are only open during those hours. Another traditional breakfast dish ishaleem, a stew consisting of wheat or barley cooked slowly with lamb and lentils until it reaches a thick, creamy consistency.Omelettes are also widely enjoyed, a dish hailing from ancient Persia; popular additions are spinach, sausages, tomatoes, or dates.
Traditional Iranian cooking is performed in stages, often requiring hours to days of preparation and attention. The outcome is a well-balanced array of dishes, matching flavour with nutritional content. Major staples of Iranian food usually eaten with every meal includerice, an assortment of fresh herbs with radishes (sabzi khordan), white cheese, a variety of breads, and some form of meat, whether braised slowly or grilled. The most popularly consumed meats arelamb,poultry,beef, andfish, the latter consumed most in coastal regions.Khoresh, or a braise, served with rice is by far the most popular dish, of which there are myriad options, the constitution of which vary by region.
Traditional Iranian table setting firstly involves the tablecloth, calledsofre, and is spread out over either a table or arug. Main dishes are concentrated in the middle, surrounded by smaller dishes containing appetizers, condiments, and side dishes, all of which are nearest to the diners. When the food is perfectly served, an invitation is made to seat at thesofre and start having the meal.
In Persian culture, guests are considered divine and so are served first and abundantly so, the host serving themselves last.Taarof, the Persian art of etiquette, dictates that guests do not help themselves to any food or drink unless offered to do so, and even having been offered must decline until having received at least a third offer, lest they appear greedy. This demonstration of restraint and good manners is met with the generosity of the host, who will insist on multiple servings for their guests. In certain circles, it may be considered polite to leave a tiny amount of food or drink behind, lest the host interpret an empty plate or cup as suggestive of the meagreness of their hospitality.
Persian cuisine is characterized by the use of lime and saffron, the blend of meats with fruits and nuts, a unique way of cooking rice, and Iranian hospitality. Food is subtly spiced, delicate in flavour and appearance, and not typically hot or spicy. Many recipes date back to ancient times; Iran's historical contacts have assisted in the exchange of ingredients, flavours, textures, and styles with various cultures ranging from the Mediterranean Sea region to China, some of whom retain these influences today.
sirabi-va-shirdun
Iranians are obsessive tea drinkers
Iran is a nation of obsessive tea drinkers
Iranian guest tea.
Tea is usually sweetened with lumps of sugar. Most Iranians sip their tea through these lumps of sugar by placing the lump inside their cheek
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, alcoholic beverages have been strictly banned...non-Muslim minority groups...are entitled to produce wine for their own consumption.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)aab-e havij, a carrot juice
...havij bastani, a kind of ice cream float, made with Persian ice cream and carrot juice
Khakshir is imported from Persia...
The food of southern Iran is hot and spicy, just like its climate (...)
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