Persian Cuisine

Persian cuisine is the cuisine associated with the Persian culture, the dominant culture of Iran. Persian people speak the Persian language, especially a dialect known as Farsi.

Isfahan is a major city for Persian culture, as well as Tehran and Shiraz.

The setar is a musical instrument used in traditional Persian music.

Ingredients

Rice and wheat are staple foods.

saffron

eggplant

grapes, wine

barberries or zereshk(زرشک)

pomegranate

Limes are often used dried in Persian cuisine. Persian lime, a hybrid of lemon and key lime, was first bred in ancient Persia and is the most common type of lime available today worldwide. Key lime is also a hybrid that may have dispersed from Oman, and lemon is also a hybrid; wild citrus mainly comes from Southeast Asia.

Rose is used for flavoring drinks and syrups.

Dishes

• tahdig(ته دیگ): a type of chelow(rice with separate grains) cooked so a crispy layer forms
• polow: rice cooked in broth
• barbari bread(نان بربری): leavened flatbread browned on top, originally from the Hazara people
• ghormeh sabzi(قورمه‌ سبزی): herb stew
• khoresh: stew with various meats and sometimes other ingredients such as eggplant and peas
• kebab
• sharbat(شربت): lightly sweetened drink, usually made with fruit of flowers