Persian food

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Persian food

People get to know new lands by visiting their attractions and studying their history. But nothing can introduce a country to you better than its food. Iran is acknowledged as one of the greatest countries according to history and culture, and Persian food is the best evidence to this claim. Food has always been an essential part of our lives, and family gatherings are never complete without a table full of multiple hot and cold dishes. Variety of Iranian food recipes may surprise you. Since plenty of elements such as geography, history, culture, climate, regional traditions, and even language, all are reflected in our dishes. Sweet and sour, soft and crunchy, cooked and raw, hot and cold come together to create one of the best flavors you can ever experience. Iranian meals! So what do they include?

Persian main courses

Persian cuisine recipes are as wide as the extent of Iran. Sweet and sour flavors are tasted in the northern regions, and Seafood is sought after in the south. Meat is the core of dishes in western cities, while people eat more traditional food in the east. But the common item among most of them is rice. Rice or “Berenj” is the cornerstone of every Persian food, which is usually accompanied by “Tahdig”. The crispy layer of rice, potato, bread, or lettuce, sitting right at the bottom of a pot. Be careful to catch your share of Tahdig soon, when eating at a Persian party. It would be disappeared after seconds!

Whether there is any Tahdig or not, rice is usually served in 2 ways. The first and most popular one is with stew. Stew or “Khoresht” is an Inseparable part of Persian food recipes that varies a lot and is usually watery, including different ingredients and spices. Ghormeh sabzi and Gheymeh stew are on top of popularity, and Khoreshte Fesenjoon is not far behind.

Mixed rice meals are the second way to use this magical ingredient in Persian recipes. Loobia polo, Baghali polo, and Adas polo are the ones that are probably beloved by every Iranian household. To cook mixed rice, we first drain the rice and prepare the sauce separately. Then we pour them into the pot layer by layer and let them cook for some hours. You can find many mixed rice dishes among Persian meals recipes here in Cooking County. But do not miss the wonderful part of our dishes. What is that?

Persian starter and side dishes

You can barely find a family that serves Persian food without a starter and a side dish. However, our starters are as delicious and appetizing as they can be considered a full meal. There are various starters cooked in Iran which tasting them once is enough for you to fall in love with. from Mirza Ghasemi and Kashke Badmejoon that are based on the eggplant to numerous types of “Ash” which are the best choices for winter and autumn gatherings.

We serve our food with different side dishes such as fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, Mast O Khiar (yogurt with cucumber), marinated olives, and salads. An interesting fact about Iran food recipes is that we always try to use appropriate side dishes, spices, or starters with our food to adjust their hot or cold natures. We put Khorma (Dates) as a hot-natured foodstuff beside the dish of Adas polo which has cold nature because of Adas (Lentils). Raisins and walnut are used with Mast O Khiar, and cinnamon is the best choice to accompany many stews.

We also keep an eye on climate to cook proper food in Iran. Fesenjoon stew is best to be eaten in winter, according to its hot nature. While Ab-doogh-khiar with cold nature exactly matches the blazing weather of summer. These are what we have learned from our ancestors, who were not educated but were great experts of living, cooking, and health-related issues. That is why you do not need to be worried about overeating in Iran. There is always a solution that saves you from a stomachache or any other probable problem!

Are you feeling excited about Iran recipes? The great news is that one more part is still left!

Persian dessert and sweets

If you think that Persian food is just limited to main courses and starters, think again. We also have a sweet tooth, and desserts go along with a cup of tea to make us fantastic evenings.

Although rosewater, saffron, and cardamom show up in almost every Persian dessert, each of them has a unique flavor. Sholezard is our super-popular saffron pudding, and Halva is a soft dessert you probably love. Sohan is a brittle and crunchy confection from Qom, served with pistachios, and Gaz is what you bring with yourself coming back from Isfahan unquestionably. But it is literally impossible to name all Persian desserts, as each city has a list of tasty sweets and confections for itself. Masghati, Ranginak, and Faloode with Bastani Sonnati from Shiraz, Ghotab and Baghlava from Yazd, and Noon Berenji from Kermanshah are only a few ones of countless appetizing Persian desserts. If you want to learn how to cook them and find plenty of other Iranian cuisine recipes, stay tuned to the latest blogs on Cooking County.