Iranian Breakfast
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One of the signs of a nation’s identity and cultural progress is the skills and cultural elements that the nation uses in choosing ingredients and cooking methods; this factor can differentiate a nation from others. This is true when it comes to Iran’s culinary system too. Iranians hold one of the oldest and most important schools of cooking. Their way of treating food has affected other countries as well and is in itself a tourist attraction.

A Brief Look at Iran’s Culinary History

Iran’s school of cooking is rooted in history; yet, there is little we know about the way they cooked before the advent of Islam. In this regard, the remaining drafts and evidence point to cooking at courts, palaces and among the rich. There are paintings on ancient findings that indicate this fact. The remaining texts from the Sasanid era also bear references to some common dishes of the time and their cooking methods.

Arabs were living in a harsh climate and geography; so their culinary patterns were simple. After the fall of Sasanid kings, those Arabs who had come to Iran followed the purpose of learning from Iran’s civilization and the lifestyle of the Sasanid. Arabs were present in the Abbasid court as well; that helped them learn from cooking methods of the royals and the urban and rural societies of Iran. It should be noted that Iran’s culinary system was also minutely affected by the culinary culture of Arabs.

Abgoosht (Dizi), Iranian food
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From the twelfth century on, some invader Turks came to rule Iran. They learned a lot from Iran’s foods and lent their own to the Iranians. Using different kinds of noodles in Iranian dishes is an example of the latter.

The bulk of what we know about Iran’s cuisine belongs to the Safavid era and afterwards. Based on cooking books written by court cooks, cooking was prodigal and luxurious at the time. The recipes of different kinds of rice, stew, cutlet, meat ball and etc. can be found in these books.

The Qajar dynasty was prodigal too. It was in this era that using different kinds of meats, rice, stews, syrups, jams, sweets and fruit became common among people. One of the interesting developments of this era was the introduction of potato and tomato into Iran in the beginning of the 19th century. This new food changed some recipes. The main beverage of the era was coffee; it was usually used after the main course.

Kebab, Iranian Food – Persia Advisor Travels
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The Features of Iranian Cuisine

Four main features of Iranian cuisine are: using lots of rice, cooking the foods for a long time, nearly similar recipes and mild taste.

Using lots of rice: rice has been a cereal in high demand from a long time ago. Its companionship with a stew was a discovery of the Iranian cooks. Cooked rice is called “Polow” by the Iranian. There are two words for cooked rice: Chelow and Polow. Simple cooked rice is called Chelow and rice mixed with vegetables is known as Polow.

Cooking for a long time: Iranians cook their foods for a long time on moderate heat. It is a feature of many dishes. This is unique to Iranian taste and Iranians are used to it.

Nearly-similar recipes: the main dishes in Iran’s culinary system usually enjoy similar recipes. In fact, these dishes could be used as examples and other ones could be derived from them. This depends on the cook’s creativity in mixing new ingredients.

Mild taste: Iranian dishes are not extreme in taste or odor. All of them use spices, although not too much.

Daily Meals

Iranians have three main meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast: the traditional Iranian breakfast consists of Iranian cheese, butter, cream, top milk, different jams and honey along with traditional flat bread (Lavash, Barbari, Taftan, Sangak) and sweetened tea. Milk, walnut, scrambled or boiled egg and tomato omelet are also used in breakfast. Porridge (which is a kind of thick soup made up of wheat and mutton) and Kalaeh Pache (lamb’s head and feet or khash) are among the warm dishes sometimes used as breakfast during cold seasons.

Lunch and Dinner: in these meals, Iranians use Polow along with stews or baked meat, either boiled or grilled.

Polow, Tah Dig (Scorched Rice), Persian Food, Tahchin
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The Most Famous Iranian Dishes

Different kinds of Kebabs, especially the one used with rice which is called Chelow Kabab, are very common in Iran. Chicken Kebab is another dish made of chicken meat. Ghormeh Sabzi and Gheimeh are the most famous Iranian stews. They are served along with chellow. Fesenjan (made of pomegranate paste and ground walnuts) is a stew used in ceremonies. These are some of the most famous kinds of Pollow in Iran: Zereshk polo (Persian barberry rice), Baghali polo (Persian dill rice with fava beans), Sabzi pollo (rice with herbs), Morasa polo (Persian jewelled rice). These types of Polow normally accompany veal, mutton or chicken. Abgoosht is another popular dish of Iran which is made in different ways based on the region.

Shirazi Salad is a mixture of tomato, cucumber and cubed onion put in vinegar, lime juice or sour grape juice and some salt. Different kinds of yoghurt, mixed with spinach, eggplant and cucumber are also used for lunch or dinner; pickles have their own place in Iranian’s cuisine too. The traditional beverage in Iran is Doogh (a cold savory yogurt-based beverage that is mixed with salt).

Rasht, the Creative City of Food

Rasht is a city in the province of Gilan. It is adjacent to the sea and lots of vegetables grow nearby. That is why the city has a unique culinary culture. Some say 170 kinds of dishes are cooked in Rasht, some are made of vegetables only. Moreover, the city has a rich variety of meat dishes. Different foods are made using local animals, birds and wild animals living in the surroundings. There are lots of restaurants and local food selling centers. This shows the importance of food and its variety in Rasht among its people. UNESCO registered Rasht as the creative world city of food in 2015.

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Iranian Cuisine, Pistachio
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It’s a nut that its cultivation in Iran dates back to the ancient times. We don’t know much about the plant back in history; yet, most of the tourists and travelers who have come to Iran since the Safavid era and afterwards have mentioned the plant’s farming, its consumption and export.

French traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier has pointed out in his travelogue that the pistachio of the city of Malayer was the best in the world and it was exported to India. British Orientalist and Iranologist Edward Brown has also stressed that Iran’s pistachio was being exported to India during the Qajar dynasty. Ernst Holster, German photographer, who was in Iran in the age of Qajar has a similar story about pistachio.

These travelers portray a clear picture of pistachio’s place in the culinary culture of Iran. Dried pistachio was a common snack in royal ceremonies. Pistachio was also used in different foods and served as a condiment for cooked rice. An official of Naseraddin Shah administration in his work called Notes from the Private Life of Naseraddin Shah refers to a kind of food called pistachio-yogurt. It’s probably the same dish that people of the city of Sirjan make out of pistachio and yogurt nowadays.

Iranian Cuisine, Pistachio
Photo by Safa.daneshvar via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Pistachio is being planted in different peripheral parts of Iran’s dessert, especially the east and the southeast of the country. It has different types. Kale Quchi, Akbari, Ahmadaqayi, Khandan, Shahpasand, Owhadi etc are some of the most famous ones.

Pistachio is the ingredient of many popular dishes. Shirinpolo is one of them which is a ceremonial dish of Iran. Pestepolo, or pistachio mixed with rice, is another popular dish which is cooked with peeled pistachio. People of Anar (a district in Kerman province) make a local food out of melted Kashk, and fried onion which is designed with grinded pistachio in the end. It’s served with bread.

Pistachio is a key ingredient in different sweets and desserts.

Pistachio is a key ingredient in different sweets and desserts. People use pistachio peel to make pickles or jams in some of the cities of Iran where the plant is farmed. Some cook green pistachio and add salt and lemon juice to it. That is a sort of snack called pistachio-lime.

Iranian Cuisine, Tea, Pistachio in Gaz Candy
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In the past, people of the region of Sirjan used pistachio crust to make a kind of beverage, close to coffee and serve their New Year guests with that.

Pistachio is one of the most significant imports of Iran to other countries. Many tourists take it home as a souvenir. Pistachio is easy to find in Iran and is sold in confectionaries and nuts shops.

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Tea is a plant that grows in the wild. Its origin is said to be eastern Asia. Drinking tea goes back to 2500 B.C., apparently. It has traveled from China to Japan and India before making its way to other parts of the world.

Historical evidence say tea entered Iran in the first centuries after the advent of Islam. It is said that the drink was used to cure certain diseases. Iranian physician and scientist Abu Reyhan Birouni has referred to tea in his book called Medical Pharmacology written in the 12th century. He has confirmed that the plant came from China.

An unknown English man and an Isfahani businessman called Haj Mohammad Hossein Esfahani were the pioneers who tried to grow tea in Iran. Their efforts, however, did not produce tangible results. Finally it was Haj Mohammad Mirza, known as Kashef-o-Saltaneh, who managed to do so. He was Iran’s consul in India under Mozaffar Addin Shah Qajar. Historical references tell us that in November 2, 1900, Kashef-o-Saltaneh brought the first tea sapling from India to Iran and began planting it in the northern Iranian city of Lahijan.

Planting and producing tea was an imported skill in the beginning but it was Iranized after a century and entered the traditional culture of agriculture in Iran.

Historical references tell us that in November 2, 1900, Kashef-o-Saltaneh brought the first tea sapling from India to Iran and began planting it in the northern Iranian city of Lahijan.

Based on historical sources, readying and drinking tea with special traditions, go back to several centuries before the plant was first grown in Iran. Back then, only a few rich families could afford the tea that was imported from countries like China and India. A German man called Olarius who had traveled to Iran in the 17th century says in his itinerary that people of Iran used to roll black dried leaves of tea in clean water and brew it before adding sugar to it and drinking it.

Iranian Tea and Rock Candy
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It’s not clear when drinking tea became common among the rich and the noble. But it was likely coincident with the arrival of samovar in Iran. Chief Minister to Naseradin Shah Qajar, Amir Kabir, played a major role in turning tea into a common beverage. He received two tea sets as gifts from the French government and a Russian businessman in 1850. Then he gave an Isfahani craftsman the franchise to build samovars in Iran with government budget. The pieces needed to drink tea came into Iran too. The tea brew turned into a desirable thing because it was grown in Iran and therefore cheap. That’s how more people came to drink tea. In the beginning only the royal family, the rich and families of officials could drink tea. But imports increased and the plant was grown in Iran. That made tea a common drink and its consumption an almost daily practice among the public.

Drinking tea is desirable in all seasons; but it’s of especial joy in cold seasons in Iran. It’s part of Iranian people’s diet and they prefer to drink it when gathered together. Drinking tea with others has a special joy, but it’s a habit and a social etiquette in the Iranian culture too.

People usually drink tea with a sweet thing, mostly sugar cubes. But sugar, candy, traditional Iranian candies, natural sugars such as date, raisin, dried berries or different kinds of modern products such as biscuits and chocolates also accompany a cup of tea these days.

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