The Islamic Republic of Iran, also known as Persia, is a country in Western Asia. It is the home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations. The country undoubtedly has a rich culture and heritage and Persian food is amazing.
Are you planning to visit this country anytime soon? Well, you are sure set for a wonderful trip! The country has a lot to offer, and you surely will be left mesmerized.
We can all agree that food is perhaps the best part of any trip, and Persian food, which is regarded as one of the best culinary in the world, will not disappoint you! The food will surely leave your taste buds wanting more, but do you know some weird facts about Persian food or rather Iranian dishes?
Read further to find out the weirdest facts about Persian food.
13 Weird Facts of the Persian Food:
1. Ghormeh Sabzi
Image taken from Wikipedia
Ghormeh Sabzi is one of the most popular dishes in Iran and an absolute favorite of Iranians. Prepared with aromatic herbs, dried lime, onions, red bean, kidney beans, and sheep/calves/lamb meat, it is one of the best things to taste.
Well, the secret behind the delicious taste of Ghormeh Sabzi and most of the Persian food is the technique of cooking. The tip: Cook the stew with less heat and for a longer time, the less the heat, the tastier and well — simmered your Ghormeh Sabzi would be!
The sabzi would be served to you alongside white rice or saffron rice. So, get ready for one of the best foods Persia has to offer — lamb/calves meat along with rice surely makes for one unforgettable dish!
2. Ab-Doogh Khiar
Ever tasted a cold and uncooked soup? Well, this Persian food should surely be on your platter!
Ab-Doogh Khiar is a very popular summer Persian dish. It is made of highly unusual ingredients— yogurt, raisins, diced cucumber, water, fresh hubs such as mint and basil, and then seasoned with pepper and salt. Dried rose petals are sprinkled on the top to give extra flavor and crunch. Crumbled pieces of toasted bread are spread in the soup as well.
This dish is served either as an appetizer or along with lunch or dinner on a hot summer day! Do not miss this weird but delicious Persian food. Check out it’s video below:
3. Kebab
Image taken from Wikimedia
Kebab is undoubtedly one of the most important delicacies of Persian food, you must have tried kebabs earlier, but they can’t surely match the ones in Iran!
The Koobideh kebab is made of ground meat which is seasoned with minced onions, pepper, and salt. The taste of kebab is sublime. You should surely try this kebab on your trip to Iran.
The kebab-e-barg, on the other hand, is made up of thinly sliced lamb or beef, which is flavored with an onion and lemon juice and then basted with saffron and butter.
Joojeh, or the chicken kebab, is made from a whole chicken and bones to add more flavor. It is marinated in an onion and lemon and then basted with butter and saffron.
Love eating lamb? Well, then you ought to try Jigar, which is the lamb liver kebab. Sounds interesting, right? This Persian food is garnished with fresh basil leaves and wedges of lemon.
4. Khoresht Mast
Image taken from Pinterest
This Persian food hailing from Isfahan is often dubbed as ‘yogurt stew.’ This unusual dessert can be served either as an appetizer or side dish. The dessert is made up of sugar, yogurt, rose water, onion, egg yolks, saffron, turmeric, and crushed lamb neck meat.
The combination is then boiled and mixed thoroughly, and then walnuts, almonds, or pistachios are added to it. Once prepared, the dish is cooled and topped with barberries. Khoresht Mast was often served as a main dish in feasts that were held for kings.
Do not miss on this weird yet yummy Persian food!
Do read this article on Persia too!
5. Kalle Pache
This classic dish is made up of sheep’s hooves. The entire head of the sheep, including its eyes, tongue, and brain, are served on the platter, and Iranians love this Persian food!
This dish is eaten for breakfast, usually very early in the morning. The dish acts as an energy booster and lifts your spirits.
You can taste this delicacy from a place called Kalle Pazi or Tabbakhi. Vendors start selling this dish as early as 4:00 am and go till 9:00 am. The dish is seasoned with cinnamon and lemon, and you crumble pieces of bread into its broth or can have it like a sandwich by putting the Kalle Pache in a bite-sized bread.
Either you will fall in love with this weird Persian food or will absolutely hate it, but surely cannot afford to miss out on this dish, so make sure to put this on your platter!
6. Sabzi Polo
This Persian food is primarily eaten on the occasion of Persian New Year, which is known as Nowruz. This delicacy is made up of rice and chopped herbs and is served along with fish. The herbs used in making the sabzi are varied but typically include dill, coriander, scallions or chives, garlic, and fenugreek.
Persians eat sabzi polo alongside Mahi sefid or white fish on the Persian new year along with their family and relatives. The delicacy is served with pickled garlic and some other traditional pickled herbs and vegetables, do not miss on this delicacy while in Iran!
7. Tahdig
This Persian food is often called the soul food of Iran. Tahdig is a crisp golden layer of fried rice at the bottom of the rice bowl. This delicacy tastes like a combination of popcorn and potato chips and also has a delicate flavor of basmati rice. A word of advice: Tahdig is not mentioned on the menu, so you will have to ask for it separately!
Image taken from Adobe Stock Images
This delicacy is usually eaten as the side dish, and you would be not judged for eating the dish with your hands. So, just grab Tahdig and eat like no one is watching!
8. Faloodeh
Image taken from Wikipedia
Faloodeh is a traditional sorbet that is made up of frozen sugar syrup and infused with rose water and then mixed with thin vermicelli noodles. According to some sources, this Persian food originated in Shiraz and is among the first sorbet varieties dating back to as early as 400 BC.
This dish is served along with fresh lemon juice and sweet cherry syrup/chopped pistachios and is enjoyed as a summer dessert.
9. Morasa Polo
This middle eastern country is known for its rice dishes. Morasa Polo is a traditional Persian rice dish. Morasa means jewels. This dish is prepared with basmati rice, tahdig, butter, olive oil, dry fruits like almonds, pistachios, dried barberries, orange peel, carrots, sugar, and onions.
Every ingredient is sautéed separately and then caramelized with sugar. The Persian food is kept on a serving platter and garnished with pomegranate seeds and then drizzled with melted butter/ghee and rose water.
This delicacy is eaten on Persian festivals, new year, and weddings. Love eating rice? Then, you cannot afford to miss this dish.
10. Tahchin
Ever eaten a rice cake? Well, then you ought to try Tahchin. This Persian food is made up of rice, saffron, yogurt, chicken fillets, and eggs. You can also request for vegetables or fish instead of chicken fillets.
The delicacy is made up of two different parts — The first part, that is the thin Tahdig part, contains the chicken fillets/vegetables, saffron, and other ingredients at the bottom of the cooking pot. While the second part is the white rice. However, in restaurants, you will be served Tahchin without white rice.
11. Mast-o-Khiar
Love Yogurts? If yes, Iran is not going to disappoint you! This Persian food is consumed almost on an everyday basis in most of the Persian households.
The cucumbers are not grated; rather, diced to avoid them from getting watery. Dried herbs are added to yogurt to elevate its taste. Rose petals, walnuts/raisins are added to the delicacy to improve its taste.
So, do not miss this simple yet delicious Persian food.
12. Khoresh Bademjan
Eggplant fan? Then, do not miss this stew at all! Khoresh Bademjan is a traditional eggplant stew and a classical Persian dish that is served on most of the Persian festivals. The stew tastes the best when it has some tartness to it. To give a sour taste, Iranians add several ingredients like fresh lime, ghooreh, limoo Amani, and ab ghooreh.
The delicacy is prepared with the help of eggplants, lamb or beef, mild aromatic spices like saffron, turmeric, saffron, and acidic components like lime. The dish is always served along with rice. Do not miss this delicious Persian food!
13. Khoresht-e-Karafs
Image taken from Wikipedia
Like eating healthy? Then, you can surely go ahead with this Persian food! Khoresht-e- Karafs is made up of celery.
Therefore, the stew is very healthy. Apart from celery, herbs like parsley and mint are also used to make this delicacy.
The dish is normally prepared with the help of a veal/ lamb. Some Persians also add kidney beans and pomegranate paste to Khoresht-e-karafs, though this is not very popular.
The taste of the delicacy is quite sour, So you fitness freaks, do not miss on this yummy Persian food!
Iran has a lot of delicious and finger-licking dishes to offer. Though some ingredients will sound as incredibly weird to you, we can assure you that Persian food is incredibly tasty! Whenever you get a chance to travel to Iran, try all these and many more delicacies that Iran has to offer, and we are sure you will be left wanting for more!
Read This Article To Know More About Weird Food From Around The World.
Icy Tales
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat
