Sweet, sour and spicy – Persian cuisine has it all

Today’s Iran is the Persia of yore. Names may have changed, but not identities, nor the land’s cuisine. All the same you cannot give the name tag of purely Persian to Iranian food, for it’s anything but “purely” Persian. Iranian food is a mix-match of various provinces and the traditional stuff of its innumerable clans.

A book of recipes purportedly written and published centuries ago during the Safaveed rule of Iran, extols the goodness and greatness of Persian cuisine rooted deeply in tradition.

Set naturally between the East and the West, on the Old Silk Route, Iranian food acquired its distinct features with marauding forces making changes in social, cultural and food sectors. When Iran took its products like anar (pomegranate), saffron and spinach to the world outside, it took in rice and vegetables like lemon and eggplant into its fold. The influence of those countries sharing their borders with Iran also had a deep impact on the food habits of the Persians. Therefore, one can see unmistakable traces of Russia, Central Asia, Turkey and a bit of Europe in Iranian food. With the Mughal invasion of India, the rich Mughlai taste of spices trickled into Iran in addition to creating a big influence on Indian cuisine.

Distinct tastes

Iranians seldom cook anything in a hurry. Their food is cooked over a long time under moderate temperatures. They love to keep their food tangy and sour and rose water is a must in all traditional cuisine as also cardamom, fried and powdered sesame seeds, coriander leaves and parsley. Iranians love kebabs, soups, stew, pilaf, salads, dessert, pastry and drinks. It’s usual to have plenty of fruits, nuts and leaves along with every meal.

Rice

A solid Iranian meal is a mix of rice, meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts and leaves. Saffron, dry lime, cinnamon, turmeric powder and parsley are the main masala mixes and flavouring agents.

Rice with a mix of fruits was, and is still a tradition in Iran. Plum, pomegranate, quince, prunes, apricot and raisins are what go with the rice. There was a time when only the rich could afford to have a meal of rice. The commoners had bread. There existed two styles of cooking rice - the Polow and Chelow. Rice was first soaked in a solution of salt and then boiled and the water would be drained out when the rice was half cooked. Thinly sliced potatoes or bread finely sliced would then be placed in another vessel. This would then be covered with the boiled rice over which a layer of meat, vegetables, nuts, fruits and leaves would be placed. The whole dish would then be steamed. A thick piece of cloth placed under the lid of the vessel would absorb the stem and keep the contents inside moist and fresh. This was how Polow rice was prepared.

The popular Adas Polow is another rice recipe which has lentils, meat, caramelized onion, raisins and spices for ingredients. The sweet Seker Polow is rice along with honey, almonds and pistachios. The Zereshk Polow is what appears on special occasions. The Zereshk is a mix of fruits and is colorful and delicious. The Kaach rice cooked in the province of Jilan is special in that it’s cooked till all the water is absorbed.

A feast of kebabs

Almost all the kebabs are mutton-made. Mutton is marinated with finely chopped onions and lime. They are wrapped in bread and eaten. The Chelow kebab is what’s had with Chelow rice. You could almost call this the national dish of Iran.

Varieties of bread

The Naan Lavash is a wafer-thin bread and the Naa Sangye, an oven-shaped bread. The Naan-i-Barbari is a flat bread popular in Iran’s Tubris province. All the breads are made with either wheat or barley and are had along with butter cubes, cheese, sarshir, or fruit jam.

Khoresh and Dizzy

The Khoresh is an enticing stew cooked with leaves, fruits, meat, tomato paste, saffron and pomegranate juice. The Dizzy is as exciting as the Khoresh. It’s cooked and served in the same vessel. Mutton, tomato, garlic, turmeric powder and dal are mixed and cooked over the traditional oven for over seven hours.

The Abgoost Dizzy is a dizzy dish with mutton rich in fat, potatoes, chickpea, beans and tomato paste. The Haleem, cooked with wheat, barley and mutton is a winter food.

The “head and hoof” Kaleh Pacheh is a festive winter soup. Most Iraninas have this extremely delicious soup very early in the morning. It’s the best way to start the day. What go into the soup are lamb brain, eyes and tongue. It’s served with lime.

The Ash Reshteh is another thick soup that’s had all over Iran. Barley, spinach and mushroom are the main ingredients with noodles added in the end.

Dolma, Mirza Ghasemi

Dolma is a stuffed vegetable dish. They can also be stuffed with a base of rice. Cabbage, tomato and apple are best to prepare Dolma. Any of these can be cooked well and stuffed with meat, masalas and tomato sauce. They are then cooked in meat stock or sweet and sour sauce.

The Mirza Ghasemi is one of Iran’s most popular dishes. Egg plant is roasted, mixed with garlic and tomato sauce, butter and a pinch of turmeric powder. Eggs are then added in. The egg plant can be blistered over an open flame or baked in an oven. This goes well with rice and bread.

Falooda

It’s believed that the hugely popular cold dessert beverage falooda had its origin in the province of Shiraz. Vermicelli, rose water, ice cubes and sugar are the main ingredients. Another version of the drink with dry fruits and falooda seeds are more popular in the rest of Asia. It’s also been claimed that the ice cream too had its birth in Iran. Ice cream with saffron and pista is what’s commonly sold here.

Doogh

The doogh is a cold yogurt-based beverage. It goes by the name Persian Coco Cola and is a combination of water, curds, salt, ice cubes and mint.