Learn all about the top five dishes you just have to try while traveling in Iran
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Mohammad: Hi everyone! Mohammad here! |
| Becky: Welcome back to PersianPod101.com! I’m Becky, and this is All-About, Lesson 7 - Persian Cuisine. Persian food is known in Asia and around the world for its freshness and deliciousness. The variety in Persian food is the result of the rich culture of the Iranian people, which has created a colorful and healthy diversity of dishes, and a combination of new flavours. |
| Mohammad: That’s right. In this lesson, we’ll start by telling you some major features of Persian cuisine and food culture. |
Lesson focus |
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| Becky: The originality of the Persian kitchen comes from the healthy and nutritious meat and dairy products from the country... |
| Mohammad: ...And vegetables cultivated on rural farms, and the bread from the same raw materials baked in local furnaces. All of them have a taste of Iran's landscape, and Iranians’ hard work. |
| Becky: In Iran, rice is the main food, and depending on the cooking method, has different names. It's served on the table together with other Iranian foods like Kebab and Stew, which is a mix of cooked vegetables and cereal. |
| Mohammad: Using spices is also very popular in Iran, as they add an oriental taste and fragrance to the food. |
| Becky: Persian food gathers all family members, relatives, and friends together, especially on holidays, feasts, and special calendar dates like Ramadan. |
| Mohammad: Yes, it has become an enjoyable ritual for them to do all the stages of preparing traditional dishes like "Ash" or Soup, starting from cleaning the vegetables, all the way through to serving and eating it together. |
| Becky: That sounds nice. So is "Ash" or “Thick Soup”, a festive food in Iran? |
| Mohammad: Not necessarily, but mostly it’s cooked on religious occasions. It's a traditional custom called "Nazri" or "Votive", in which different foods like "Ash Reshteh" or "Noodle soup" are distributed freely, in the belief that it will bring blessings, and your prayers will be answered. |
| Becky: What a nice tradition. It makes me think - what are Iran’s main and most popular food items? |
| Mohammad: Well, bread is one of them, and it comes in different shapes and sizes. The famous types include: Barbari, Sangak, and Lavash, and these can be eaten with all daily courses and meals. Seafood including Caviar is also popular on the North and South Sea sides. |
| Becky: When I think Persian food, I think saffron and pistachio, because they’re widely used in foods and feasts, and are also good souvenirs from Iran. |
| Mohammad: That's true. And they’re delicious too. |
| Becky: Oh by the way, you said that in Iran, food makes people gather around in groups and eat together. Is there any kind of special table etiquette? |
| Mohammad: People usually eat around a table-cloth named "Sofreh", that is spread on the floor and comes in many designs, materials, and textures. The presence of family members and the elderly around the Sofreh is important. |
| Becky: Great! Now let's continue by introducing the top five most popular foods in Iran. |
| Mohammad: Ok. Here are “The Top 5 Persian Dishes”. Number 5 is... Cutlet |
| Becky: "Cutlet" is delicious fast cooked meat portions, which are usually served without rice and with bread. It is made by mixing meat, potato, eggs, and onion, and frying them together with oil in a pan. |
| Mohammad: This food has many fans, specially in "Amol" city where it's called "Shami Amol". Ok, and.. Number 4 is Chelo Kebab. |
| Becky: It’s one of the original foods in Iran. It consists of cooked rice and Kebab, which is eaten with sumac and tomatoes. |
| Mohammad: Right. A serving of “Chelo Kebab” is usually one dish full of rice, two skewers of meat roasted on a brazier, that is served with roasted tomatoes, sumac, onion, and doogh, which is a yogurt drink. Chelo Kebab has different kinds like “Barg” which is filet, “Kubideh” which is minced, “Soltani”, a mix of both, and “Shishlik”, which is ribs. Okay. Number 3 is the famous "Ash Reshteh" we've been talking about! |
| Becky: It's thicker than other soups, and its main ingredient that is mixed in, or served separately, is "Kashk" - a whey-like dairy product. Depending on family customs, it’s used as an appetizer or main course, at winter parties, or as the evening meal of Muslims during the Ramadan fasting month. Other ingredients can include beans, peas, lentils, a hot mint mix, garlic, noodle strings, herbs, roasted onions, oil, salt, and turmeric. |
| Mohammad: And.. Number two is Fesenjan |
| Becky: Every Iranian knows Fesenjan, right? It’s a stew made out of minced walnuts and pomegranate sauce. Some people add beef, and some use chicken. Northern people make it with duck, and its level of sourness and sweetness changes depending on the maker. In short, it comes in many variations, and with every change in the ingredients, another new kind is made, so there are fish, carrot, pumpkin, and pistachio fesenjans. Okay, now what’s the number 1, the most popular food? |
| Mohammad: It’s "Tahchin". Tahchin is a food for formal and special occasions, and is suited for parties because of its beautiful shape and form. It's made of rice, chicken, yogurt, eggs, and lots of saffron, in two layers. The lower layer, called "Tahdig", is saffron and chicken molded in rice. The second layer on top of that is rice. |
| Becky: If you want a thicker Tahdig, it must be cooked longer in mild temperature, and to make it more delicious, you should put a little melted butter on the Tahdig. |
| Mohammad: Ok, this is making me really hungry! |
| Becky: Me too! But before going to eat some , Mohammad, do you have any fun facts to add about Persian food like last lesson? |
| Mohammad: Yes. Persian people love to drink tea all the time. They drink black tea with and after all daily meals and between them, and it's an essential part of sofreh. |
| Becky: Really? And is it true that eating nuts in big amounts is very popular, so much so that it sometimes leads to stomach-aches?! |
| Mohammad: Yes. In fact people are trying to eat less nowadays, but they are still very popular. |
| Becky: Ok then. For more information and fun facts, please make sure to check out the lesson notes! |
| Mohammad: Yes. Also, please leave us a comment telling us what your favorite Persian food is! |
Outro |
| Becky: We’ll see you for our next lesson. Till then, bye everyone! |
| Mohammad: Bye. |
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