Update Date: May 25, 2024
Are you looking for something delicious to eat with your food? Have you ever heard about Shirazi Salad? Do you like to give it a try? If you enjoy the crunchy salad, it is time to have a tasty Shirazi Salad because the beautiful summer arrives with warm and sunny days and invites humans to open a new page in their lives.
Summer knocks at the doors of our homes and gives us a helping hand to experience a new exploration, such as various aspects of life, including traveling, gathering with family, wandering in nature, and testing new things. This fantastic season reminds Iranians of a refreshing and tasty side dish, Shirazi Salad. Indeed, it is a great option to balance the body’s temperature during sweltering summer days.
In other words, it is inclusively a summer salad, although it is served at other times with some items like rice and stew, kebab, Loobia Polo (an Iranian dish made of rice, meat, green bean, and spices), and similar dishes. Honestly, you will want more if you taste it once. Suppose you are ready to discover a new fantastic salad for the upcoming season, please scroll down to get acquainted with a juicy and mouthwatering thing made of Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and sour grape or lime juice.
What is Shirazi Salad?
Salade-e-Shirazi or Shirazi Salad is among the traditional Iranian side dishes whose birth goes back to the history of importing tomatoes to Iran. This popular Iranian side dish is sometimes made with vinegar. However, if you are not a vinegar lover, add lime juice to your salad and enjoy its divine taste. Shirazi salad as a Mediterranean salad is among the easy-to-make side dishes, and you need simple ingredients and a few minutes to bring a colorful bowl to your table.
This vegetarian-friendly salad is entirely healthy, and you may enjoy it with your rice and stew dishes, especially Ghormeh Sabzi (It is a national herb stew in Iran made of specific herbs like chives, tarragon, green onion, and others, dried lime, kidney bean, and meat), to experience an unrepeatable taste.
Shirazi Salad Origin
As the name reveals, Shirazi Salad originates from Iran’s magnificent city, Shiraz. Other countries prepare this Iranian salad with similar ingredients, but it has different names like Choban Salad, Israeli Salad, Arabic Salad, and Palestinian Salad. Nowadays, you can find this salad on the menu of many restaurants, so do not miss a chance to taste it while traveling to Iran.
As a low-calorie side dish, it is an excellent option for anybody on a diet, who likes to have a healthy item on his table. If your Iranian friend invites you for lunch, you will probably find this delicious dish on the table. So, enjoy this unrepeatable item.
What is Shirazi Salad’s Temperament?
Each food is grouped under different categories in ancient medicine, including hot and dry, hot and moist, cold and moist, and cold and dry. Actually, physicians use these features to diagnose and treat diseases. Indeed, they believe that foods are both a cure and pain; they are healing if you use them moderately. Otherwise, they endanger your physical health. So, they identify human’s temper and suggest eating or avoiding specific items.
They believe revising their temper can save body energy and bring everything under control. However, this classification is not confined to foods; drinks have specific temperaments and influence the body differently. Shirazi Salad is a cold temperament item with onion, and sour grapes juice, while vinegar is cold and dry. On the other hand, cucumbers and tomatoes are cold and moist, so you can balance them by adding dried mint and virgin olive oil to take advantage of their divine taste.
Shirazi Salad Ingredients
The salad is made of simple and easy-to-prepare ingredients, and you can find them quickly in any store. For example, you need some Persian cucumber, tomato, onion (red onion is better), salt, and lime juice, although some people add green bell pepper to make it tastier.
You may find pieces of carrot, and parsley in your salad, but don’t be surprised; because some people include these items to make a new taste. However, the original Shirazi Salad tastes fantastic, and it is highly recommended to make it based on its original recipe.
Basic Information in brief
Cuisine: Iranian
Course: Side Item
Formal side item (for guest): Yes
For: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Yield: 4 servings
Level (From the Iranian viewpoint): Easy
Calories:
~ 5 calories per 1 dessertspoon
~ 50 calories per small bowl
~ 80 calories per glass
To prep: ~ 30 minutes
You can serve it immediately or leave it in the refrigerator so that the ingredients’ flavors combine better. This salad is rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber; it lacks cholesterol, that’s why it is named a heart-friendly side dish. The recipe for Shirazi Salad is chosen from the book “Vegetarianism is Not Limitation with the Persian Cookbook.”
Ingredients
~ 5 medium cucumbers
~ 4 medium tomatoes
~ 1 small onion
~ 2 tbsp. lemon juice
~ 2 tsp. salt
~ 1 tsp. pepper
Shirazi Salad Recipe
Prepare the ingredients as mentioned earlier and wash them carefully. Try to find a Persian or at least an English cucumber with thin skin and few seeds. Actually, select firm tomatoes but forget the soft ones because you cannot chop them correctly, and they squash. Consequently, your salad’s structure won’t look like a real Shirazi Salad. Red onion tastes good in this Salad, although you may use yellow or white onions.
First, trim both ends of the cucumbers, and peel them, then chop them into similar sizes on the serving board. Do you have a chopper? You may use it to speed up the process of salad making. Be alert that the more you dice them, the better. Therefore, you can chew your salad effortlessly. If your selected cucumber and tomato are not seedless, you may remove them before dicing. Chop onion then combine all the chopped pieces and add dried mint, a pinch of salt, and pepper. You may add olive oil to have a tastier and healthier salad.
Tip for This Salad
Please chop the fresh pieces and add them to your salad bowl if you cannot find dried mint. The best item for Shirazi Salad dressing is sour grape juice called ab-e-ghooreh in the Persian language, in fact, which is preferable to lime juice and vinegar.
Keep the serving bowl in the refrigerator for an hour to make it tastier. After this time, the salad is ready. Sâ’lâd Shi’ra’zi is one of the popular salads in Iran. It is recommended with Persian foods like Es’tân’bo’li Po’low, and kinds of Ku’ku, etc. because it makes the taste of this Iranian dish more favorable.
Shirazi Salad Nutrition Facts
Like other salads, this Iranian side dish includes significant nutrients necessary for our health. In fact, traditional Iranian dishes focus on selecting healthy ingredients to energize and refresh the physical body, and the same story goes for Shirazi Salad.
Each 100 g of this Salad includes 81 kcal energy, 4.5g carbs, 1g protein, 99.70g water, about 1g fiber, 2.34 g sugar, and 7.8 g fat, but it lacks cholesterol. It provides the body with main vitamins like A, D, E, K, C, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B9, and B1.
This salad is highly notable for minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese. This side dish can help you consume the necessary nutrients and stay healthy if you are a vegan. So do not hesitate to select this mouthwatering salad.
If you are suffering from blowing, it is suggested to avoid this salad with your meal; instead, consume it between two meals. Unfortunately, some people substitute sour grape or lime juice with mayonnaise sauce which maximizes its calorie, reduces its health, and changes its original recipe.
What Goes With This Persian Salad?
Salads like Shirazi Salad are served as side dishes with many foods in Iran. As you read, it chiefly goes with Iran’s tastiest food, Ghormeh Sabzi. In other words, it completes the table and gives the guests the joy of eating two traditional dishes. Other delicious foods that taste great with this salad are:
- Gheimeh stew (a mixture of meat, split peas, tomato sauce, fried onion, and dried lime and served with rice);
- Fesenjan stew (made of walnut powder, meat, and pomegranate sauce and served with rice);
- Baghali Polo (a popular dish made of saffron rice, particular vegetables, fava beans, and meat);
- Zeresk Polo (cooked rice served with grilled chicken and berberis);
- Kabab Koobideh (a fantastic food made of ground meat mixed with onion and pepper and grilled over hot coals);
- Joojeh kebab (the marinated pieces of chicken that are grilled over coal);
- Gheimeh Nesar (a tasty food originating from Ghazvin, one of the cities of Iran, and includes rice, meat, almond and pistachio spices, dried onion, and special spices) and similar dishes.
Note: If you suffer from hypothyroidism and cannot consume cabbage salad, enjoy this cabbage and lettuce-free side dish with your meal.
Shirazi Salad vs. Israeli Salad
As the name of the Israeli Salad reveals, it is a national salad in Israel, and Jewish immigrants popularized it. In Israel it is called salat yerakot, salat katzutz, or salat aravi. We do not doubt that you are tempted to make this super delicious salad and enjoy its unique flavor.
But did you know that this Iranian salad resembles Israeli Salad? Indeed, they have a few differences. Israeli Salad, a Middle Eastern side dish, is easy to make like its ally, Shirazi Salad. You need tomato, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, parsley, fresh herbs, salt, lemon juice, and Olive oil. See? There are a few discrepancies between these salads. You can serve this salad immediately, and if you want a juicy salad, you may put it in the refrigerator for a few hours.
However, the more you sit it in the refrigerator, the higher the lime juice makes vegetables softer. Other similar salads are Coban Salatasi (A Turkish salad made of tomato, cucumber, parsley, green pepper, and dressing) and kachumber (an Indian salad made of tomato, cucumber, onion, and chili pepper with dressing).
Shirazi Salad vs. Tabbouleh
Shirazi Salad resembles various side dishes, like Tabbouleh, a tasty Lebanese salad whose main ingredient is parsley. If you need a gluten-free Salad, Tabbouleh is not yours due to bulgur wheat. In this case, you can substitute quinoa which creates a similar taste.
This Salad consists of bulgur wheat, parsley, tomato, lemon juice, onion, Olive oil, and salt; however, some people add lettuce and fresh mint to their salads. First, cook bulgur wheat and let it chill; chop mint, parsley, onion, and tomato, then add dressing. Accordingly, mix all the ingredients and enjoy this great salad full of vitamins and minerals that promote the body’s physical defensive system.
Complimentary Points about Shirazi Salad
- If you like to experience its crunchy texture, please add the dressing when ready to eat this Persian salad. Otherwise, you can mix all the ingredients and put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to become softer and taste better;
- Dice the ingredients perfectly so that they absorb the flavors;
- If you like, you can add other vegetables to this salad; however, the final product won’t be Shirazi Salad;
- Shirazi Salad is nicknamed tomato and cucumber salad too, so if you heard this name, do not be surprised;
- You can store it for one day in the refrigerator, but it will become soft and juicy;
- Shiraz Salad is a low-calorie item; therefore, you may enjoy it as much as you like;
- Peeling cucumbers is optional; indeed, thin-skin Persian cucumbers do not need peeling;
- You need ten minutes to make this quick salad for four people hence it is an easy-to-make salad;
- For more information about Iranian foods and salads, you may find different mouthwatering items in the available cookbooks in our store to find healthy and tasty dishes from Persia which some of them rooted in history.
Enjoy Shirazi Salad with Your Meals
Shirazi Salad, a delightful Iranian creation, stands out as the perfect appetizer to beat the heat on scorching summer days. Its moderate temperament aligns perfectly with the traditional Iranian culinary philosophy, emphasizing healthy ingredients to enhance physical and mental well-being by providing essential nutrients.
In Iranian cuisine, the balance of temperatures in ingredients is crucial. Cold-tempered elements in salads, for instance, are harmonized by incorporating hot-tempered components, creating a symphony of flavors and textures. This culinary approach is not just about satiating the taste buds; it’s a holistic embrace of well-being.
Similar to Israeli Salad and Lebanese Tabouleh, Shirazi Salad proudly takes its place as a tasty side dish in Iranian gastronomy. It caters to a wide audience, especially those who are vegan or vegetarian, offering a tantalizing blend of taste, tanginess, and crispiness.
For those who prioritize a healthy lifestyle and relish life’s culinary delights, adding this Iranian gem to your menu is a must. If you find yourself intrigued by the fusion of flavors or have questions about the preparation, nutritional aspects, or cultural significance of Shirazi Salad, we invite you to reach out.
The GetBookOnline.com team is here to guide you through the nuances, ensuring your experience with this delectable dish is enjoyable and enriching. Feel free to contact us if you seek further insights or if there are any aspects that need to be explored in this article. Embrace the flavors of Shirazi Salad, and let it become a refreshing staple in your culinary repertoire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shirazi salad healthy?
Yes, Shirazi Salad is a healthy choice. Packed with fresh vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, it provides essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The salad’s moderate temperament aligns with traditional Iranian culinary principles, promoting overall well-being.
What is the difference between a cucumber and a Persian cucumber?
The main difference between a cucumber and a Persian cucumber lies in their size, taste, and texture. Persian cucumbers are smaller and more slender than traditional cucumbers. They are typically about 5-6 inches long, with a thin skin that doesn’t require peeling.
What is the closest thing to a Persian cucumber?
The English or European cucumber is the closest counterpart to a Persian cucumber. Like Persian cucumbers, English cucumbers have a mild flavor, thin skin, and fewer seeds than traditional cucumbers. Both Persian and English cucumbers are preferred for salads and fresh consumption due to their crisp texture and subtle taste. If Persian cucumbers are not available, using English cucumbers in recipes that call for them can provide a similar experience in terms of flavor, texture, and versatility.
What are other side dishes from Iran?
Iran boasts a rich culinary heritage, and alongside Shirazi Salad, several other delicious salads are popular in Iranian cuisine. Some notable examples include Salad Olivier (potato salad featuring a mix of potatoes, eggs, chicken, peas, and pickles, bound together with mayonnaise), Zeytoon Parvardeh (Marinated Olives), and Maast o Khiar (Yogurt and Cucumber dip.)