Beryan, Iranian Food
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While travelling to Iran and especially Isfahan, it is highly suggested to taste its famous dish i.e. Beryan, almost all the tourists who visit Isfahan will taste this unique and nourishing food.

Although most of the Iranian call it “Beryani”, its correct name is Beryan and only the noble people of the Isfahan know it, the word “Beryani” is in fact the place wherein Beryan is cooked and sold. The Beryani store is a separate place which exclusively sells Beryan. The importance of Beryan among Isfahani people can be seen in the facts that it is a dish which is only cooked in Isfahan and in a separate place and usually it is not cooked along with other foods.

Beryan, Iranian Food
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Beryan is mixture of lamb meat, white liver, kidney, onion and seasonings, the obtained paste is put in a non-stick container and then in the oven. While preparing it to be served, its own appetizer i.e. Beryan broth is added to it along with cinnamon and black pepper. Also, some curd and chopped bread are added to the broth of cooked meat and is served. As Beryan is a fatty and heavy food which needs long time to be digested, it is mostly served in lunch.

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Jigaraki, Iranian Food
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The liver of mammals through which the bile is produced in Iranian culture is called “Jigar”. The liver and lung of cattle are called black Jigar and white Jigar respectively, both of them have edible usages. Jigaraki is one of the occupations related to traditional cooking style of the Iranian.

Based on the available photos remained from Qajar era as well as some historical sources, it can be said that the people who were occupied with this profession were initially itinerant and they were seen in crowded places of the city like bazaars, they put a barbecue in front of themselves and grilled the liver which was skewered and shouted loudly in the bazaar to sell their goods.

After a while, the itinerant sellers made small stands in front of the butcher’s or bakeries. They prepared some platforms and benches around their stands which were covered with rug or carpet to entertain their clients properly.

The shops of Jigaraki were built around the slaughterhouses due to the enthusiasm of people to serve fresh liver. The sellers put some fat on the fire to temp people by smelling it and hence they came to Jigaraki shops to server such delicious dish. Gradually, grilled heart and kidney of sheep were served along with liver.

The collection of one white liver, one black liver, one heart and two kidneys is called a set of liver (Jigar). In the past, the unit of liver was “set” but currently it is sold on kilogram basis. In addition to the liver of sheep, today the liver and heart of calf are sold in the shops of Jigaraki as well.

Jigar is mostly used as evening meal or dinner among the Iranian. In the past it was sold only along with some bread but nowadays it is severed with herb, pepper, lime, bitter orange and tomato.

Bahman Square in south of Tehran and Nazi Abad neighborhood are two main centers of selling Jigar. There are numerous Jigaraki shops in this square and it is a place for spending free time at nights for those people who are fans of this dish.

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Sohan, Iranian Traditional Sweets
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Sohan is an Iranian traditional brittle toffee from the city of Qom. Although Sohan is produced in some other cities such as Yazd, the most famous Sohan belongs to Qom. Sohan is considered as a kind of halwa that is made of wheat sprout flour in combination with other ingredients such as sugar, oil, cardamom and saffron which is decorated with pistachio and almond kernels. There are different types of Sohan including honey Sohan, sesame Sohan, Sohan halwa, almond Sohan, Sohan Gazi, Sohan Loghmeh, butter Sohan, Sohan Pashmaki (cotton candy) and Dessert Sohan.

There is no precise date regarding the appearance of Sohan, but the name of “Halwa Qomi” is mentioned in some historical sources from the Safavid period onwards. It is believed that the name of Halva was replaced with Sohan during the Qajar period; the reason of such change remained unclear due to the plethora of narrations. Some people believe that when Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar travelled to Qom and he was entertained with Halwa Qomi, he analogized it to a rasp (Sohan is the Persian word meaning rasp or file) which digested the food he had eaten very well. Since then, Halwa Qomi was recognized as Sohan and gradually it became the souvenir of Qom.

Sohan, Iranian Traditional Sweets
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The Austrian traveler, Alfons Gabriel, (14th century CE) in his book “Crossing the Iranian Deserts” talked about this brittle confectionery, its production process and distribution in Qom bazaars: “A special confectionery is produced in Qom which sent to the farthest cities of Iran. It is called “Sohan-e Qom” and is made from wheat flour, sugar, goat butter and pistachio. The aroma of this sweet confection is spread throughout the bazaar. The production of Sohan has been descended to the next generations in families in Qom, and today is considered as a main craft of the city. Besides, in some cities and regions of Iran, families make home-made Sohan on special occasions such as celebrations of Nowruz (21st March) and Shab-e Esfandi (20th February) which is held on the eve of first day of Esfand (the final month of the Solar Hijri calendar,).

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Abgoosht (Dizi), Iranian food
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The main ingredients of Abgoosht are lamb, tail fat, onion, chickpea, white bean, potato and different seasonings especially dried lime and water. At first, Abgoosht was made of the combination of lamb and legume but by the import of potato and tomato to Iran during Qajar Empire, it was affected by these two items and was prepared with a new recipe and it can be said that today, potato is an inseparable part of this food.

Abgoosht is a ritual dish especially in the recent decades which was used in different ceremonies like mourning, wedding, birthday of a new-born baby and even religious creeds. Today, during Muharram and the mourning ceremonies of Imam Hussain, the third Shia Imam, some of the families prepare Abgoosht in a huge amount and distribute it among people.

A traditional simple kind of Abgoosht is cooked in a special dish called Dizi. It is commonly served in cafes. Dizi is a one-person small crock made of clay, stone or metal. Although by the advent of different pots, Dizi is used less than before for cooking Abgoosht, there are still people who believe that a real Abgoosht is the one which is prepared in Dizi.

Once Abgoosht is ready, it is served in two steps. First, its broth is poured in a bowl and chopped bread is added to it. This is called “Tirid”, serving Abgoosht in clay bowl is very pleasant and enjoyable. The solid ingredients including lamb, chickpea, white bean and other are mashed separately and are severed in the next step along with fresh bread, herbs, pickles, yogurt and onion. The Iranian usually serve Abgoosht with Lavash or Sangak breads. The common beverage along with this food is also Doogh (a cold savory yogurt-based beverage that is mixed with salt).

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Chelow Kebab, Iranian Food
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Different kinds of kebab are among the most well-known Iranian dishes, when it is accompanied with rice, it is called “Chelow Kebab”, this dish can be observed in the menus of all Iranian restaurants because of its popularity.

Chelow is a regular type of rice which is boiled and rinsed and can be served with different kinds of stew and kebab. The history of what is presently known as Chelow Kebab dates back to 17th century onwards and it cannot be traced in earlier eras, of course baking various kinds of kebab was common in previous eras as well.

Chelow Kebab, Iranian Food
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Chelow Kebab has different kinds whose variety depends on its taste and form. The most well-known kinds of Chelow Kebab are Chelow Kebab Koobideh, Chelow Kebab Barg, Chelow Kebab Soltani, Chelow Kebab Hosseini and Chelow Kebab Chenjeh.

Chelow Kebab, Iranian Food
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One of the most important factors in preparing Iranian Kebab is to marinate the meat with onion, lime juice and some seasonings for some hours and even sometimes for some days, this marinated meat is called “stale meat” and delicious and delectable kinds of kebab is the result of cooking kebab with this type of meat.

Chelow Kebab, Iranian Food
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Kabab Koobideh is the most popular one and it is the cheapest one as well which is invented by the Iranian for the first time. It is served both with bread and chelow. Basil, serrano pepper, grilled tomatoes, sumac, doogh (a cold savory yogurt-based beverage that is mixed with salt), strained yogurt and different kinds of torshi (pickled vegetables) are the garnishes which are constantly used with Kebab Koobideh.

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Ghormeh Sabzi, Stew (Khoresh)
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The history of cooking stew in Iran dates back to a long time ago and in the cookbooks remained from Safavid Dynasty, the recipes of several kinds of stews can be found. The common characteristic of all the Iranian stews is the existence of meat along with bean, vegetables and herbs. It is worth mentioning that the stew made of chicken, instead of meat, is called “Mosama”.

Among the most popular and national Iranian stews are Ghormeh sabzi, Gheimeh and Fesenjān. There are some stews which are cooked seasonally like quince, pumpkin, rhubarb, Cirsium vulgare and okra. There are some native stews like Almond Slices Stew, cabbage stew and Gheimeh Nesar (a kind of stew with almonds and fried onions; a specialty of Qazvin province).

The diversity of stews in Iran is very high and one specific stew can be cooked in various ways depending on the tastes of the people and different seasonings used in with the aim of marinating the stew and removing extra fat.

It is interesting to know that some stews are ritually used in Iran, Gheimeh is the most important one of them which is mostly used in mourning ceremonies of Muharram.

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Tah Dig (Scorched Rice)
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Dig is a Persian word which means a pot for cooking foods and hence the crunchy thin layer at the bottom of it which is formed while cooking rice is called Tah Dig. Tah Dig can be made of any food stuff but the commonest one is rice which is made at the bottom of pot with water and large amount of oil and then half-cooked rice is added on it. There are some other items which can be used as alternative to make Tah Dig including Lavash bread, potato, lettuce, chicken wing, eggplant, tomato, broad bean and lettuce, pumpkin, herbs and grape leaves. Of course, Tah Dig in not only limited to cooking rice, it can be seen in the foods like macaroni and dolma as well.

In order to have a more fragrant Tah Dig, the Iranian add brewed saffron, powdered cardamom and cinnamon at the bottom of the pot. The best and most desirable Tah Dig is the one which is completely separated from the bottom of the pot and does not miss its shape, it is called “Ghelefti Tah Dig” which is very appetizing. The leftover Tah Dig is called “Bayyat” (stale).

Tah Dig is served in a separate plate and people add some stow on it to be softened.

Benjamin, the first American Minister in Iran and author of the book “Iran and the Iranian” pointed out to the concept of Tah Dig is his book. In her book, Persian women and their ways, Colliver Rice points out that Tah Dig is a very delicious part of the Iranian rice which is put in a tray to be served.

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Chelow Kebab
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Rice is a significant edible grain among the Iranian. There is not exact information regarding the history of rice consumption in Iran. Some historical sources mentioned that rice is an imported cargo from China. Many of the sailors and orientalists who were in Iran during 18th to 20th centuries pointed out that rice is an important agricultural product in Iran, especially in Gilan and Mazandaran provinces and named Polow and Chelow as national foods of Iran.

In culinary culture of Iran, there are two terms regarding the cooking of rice namely “Polow” and “Chelow”:

Chelow: a plain rice in which no other ingredient is added, it is served along with stew or kebab e. g. Chelow Fesenjan (a stew made of pomegranate paste and walnut) and Chelow Kebab.

Polow: it is a kind of cooked rice mixed with herbs, fruits and nut, beans and so on. The prepared rice is named based on what has been added in it, for example Sabzi Polow (herb and rice), Reshteh Polow (Iranian noodle and rice) and Adas Polow (lentil and rice).

Different kinds of Iranian Polow are classified as below:

• Polow mixed with beans like Adas Polow (lentil and rice), Mash Polow (mung bean and rice) and Loobia Polow (green bean and rice).
• Polow mixed with herbs like Nokhod Polow (green pea and rice), Havij Polow (carrot and rice), Sib Polow (potato and rice) and Kalam Polow (cabbage and rice).
• Polow mixed with fruits and nuts like Keshmesh Polow (raisins and rice), Albaloo Polow (sour cherries and rice), Ajil Polow (nuts and rice) and Morasa Polow (jeweled rice).
• Polow mixed with other ingredients like Reshteh Polow (Persian noodle and rice).

Sometime, the ingredients like cooked and chopped meat and chicken are added to these foods. Also, in some cases the raw meat or chicken is put between the layers of the rice to be cooked with steam.

The main characteristic of Iranian Polow is to cook a fluffy rice with the rice grains separated and not sticky.

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