Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Iran

Ask what Iran eats and the answer starts with this: elegant Persian cooking balancing sour and sweet: saffron rice, slow herb stews and coveted crispy tahdig. Look for Chelow kabab (saffron buttered rice with charcoal kababs and grilled tomato; national dish), Ghormeh sabzi (deep-green herb stew with lamb, kidney beans and dried limes) and Fesenjan (velvety walnut-pomegranate stew with chicken or duck). Iran’s national dish, pairing saffron-buttered rice with skewered lamb and a grilled tomato; kabab houses spread through Qajar-era Tehran. This atlas has 55 Iran dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

55 dishes.

Persian teaPersian teaamber tea from the samovar, sipped through sugar cubesPoolakiPoolakiPaper-thin discs of hard sugar candy dropped into tea to sweeten it.RanginakRanginakdates stuffed with walnuts under toasted flour, cinnamon and butterSalad ShiraziSalad Shirazidiced cucumber, tomato and onion in lime-mint dressingSangakSangakwhole-wheat sourdough flatbread baked on hot pebblesSarshirSarshirclotted cream skimmed from milk, eaten with honey and hot breadSekanjabinSekanjabinmint syrup of honey and vinegar, diluted with water and scooped with lettuceSharbat-e albalooSharbat-e albalooSour cherry syrup diluted with iced water, deep red and tart.Shir BerenjShir BerenjSlow-simmered milk and rice pudding scented with cardamom, eaten coolSholeh zardSholeh zardsaffron rice pudding decorated with cinnamon and almonds; votive offeringSohanSohansaffron and pistachio brittle, snapped in pieces from a copper trayTaftoonTaftoonthin round bread with a dimpled crust, baked against a hot oven wallTahchinTahchinsaffron-yoghurt rice cake layered with chicken, cut in golden slabsTahdigTahdigcoveted golden crust from the rice pot, sometimes potato or lavashTorshiTorshisalt-brined turnips, carrots, limes and peppers, stained pink with beetrootTorshi litehTorshi litehDark aubergine pickle pounded with herbs, garlic and vinegar into a rough paste.Torshi seerTorshi seerWhole garlic heads aged in vinegar until soft, sweet and nearly black.Zereshk poloZereshk polobarberry-jeweled saffron rice served with chickenZoolbia bamiehZoolbia bamiehsyrup-soaked fried batter in spirals and finger shapes, orange and sticky

  • Abgoosht

    Lamb-chickpea broth drunk with bread, solids mashed and eaten separately. Ready in 20 min prep and 3 hr cooking. 4…

  • Ab-e havij bastani

    Fresh carrot juice with a scoop of saffron ice cream floating in it. Ready in 10 minutes prep and none…

  • Aragh-e nana

    Distilled mint water drunk for the stomach, alone or stirred into doogh. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 2 hours…

  • Ash-e doogh

    Herb soup built on tangy doogh, thickened with chickpeas and rice. Ready in 25 min prep and 1 hr 15…

  • Ash reshteh

    Thick herb-noodle-bean soup with fermented whey and fried mint. Ready in 30 min prep and 2 hr cooking. 6 servings.…

  • Baghali polo

    Dill and fava bean rice, classically with lamb shank. Ready in 40 min prep and 2 hr 30 min cooking.…

  • Barbari

    Thick ridged breakfast flatbread topped with sesame. Ready in 30 min prep and 20 min cooking. 2 large loaves. A…

  • Bastani sonnati

    Saffron-rosewater ice cream with pistachios and frozen cream chunks. Ready in 40 min prep and 20 min cooking. 1 litre.…

  • Faloodeh

    Shirazi frozen rice-noodle sorbet with rosewater and lime. Ready in 20 min prep and 10 min cooking. 6 servings. A…

  • Gaz

    Isfahani rosewater-pistachio nougat. Ready in 30 min prep and 40 min cooking. About 30 pieces. A snack recipe from Iran.